MPSC exam leak: Congress seeks probe, review of action taken in earlier cases
The Congress on Thursday sought a comprehensive probe into the alleged leak of the 2026 Drug Inspector (Group-B) screening examination conducted by the Maharashtra Public Service Commission (MPSC), and demanded a review of all major examination and recruitment scandals reported over the past 10 years.
Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said all MPSC examinations must be conducted in a completely transparent manner, and the Government will provide all necessary assistance to implement reforms in the examination system.
A day after Mumbai police’s crime branch arrested six persons in the case, state Congress general secretary Dhananjay Shinde on Thursday said it was not the end of the investigation.
“The probe should establish where the question paper was leaked, who received it, how many candidates benefited from it, whether a larger racket was involved and who within the MPSC system played a role,” Shinde said.
He also sought to know the status of the probe into alleged irregularities in competitive examinations and Government recruitment over the past decade, referring to controversies involving the MahaPariksha portal, police recruitment, MHADA recruitment, Forest Department examinations, Talathi recruitment, Water Resources Department examinations and cases in the Amravati division, among others.
He also questioned what concrete steps Fadnavis had taken in recent years to fix accountability in recruitment and examination-related controversies.
Shinde claimed the confidence of students in the Government’s recruitment system had declined, and said it could not be restored merely through statements or arrests.
Earlier in the day, BJP MLA Abhimanyu Pawar rejected allegations linking him to the MPSC paper leak, terming them “completely baseless”.
He also said that a person, whose association with the case has been cited by his critics, was neither his personal assistant nor a relative.
Elsewhere, Chief Minister Fadnavis said all MPSC exams must be conducted in a completely transparent manner.
“There should be complete transparency in all examinations. This is the stand of the Government,” he told reporters.
He also said the Government had constituted a committee to suggest reforms and had also asked the MPSC to undertake internal reforms.
Meanwhile, NCP (SP) MLA Rohit Pawar criticised Fadnavis over his reported reference to social media posts while responding to questions about the identity of those allegedly involved in the paper leak.
It was inappropriate for the chief minister to refer to posts by “trolls”, said Pawar who had earlier alleged that the leaked exam papers were sold for Rs 40 lakh.
He urged Fadnavis to “show some seriousness” and remove the MPSC chairman, whom he alleged was a close associate of the chief minister, and appoint a person with an untainted record.
The Drug Inspector (Group-B) screening examination, held on June 12, has been cancelled in the wake of the controversy.
Those arrested in the case include MPSC Under Secretary Abhijit Lendave, two assistant section officers and Kautilya Academy director Pravin Patil.
