Wednesday, October 7, 2026
Government

Fadnavis recommends retired-judge panel on MPSC

Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis recommended a panel on the MPSC.

A retired High Court judge would head it.

It would report in three months.

The Governor has to act on the recommendation.

Aspirants have been protesting over a paper leak.

The agitation by aspirants intensified in Pune after a paper leak was confirmed in the Drug Inspector examination that the MPSC conducted for the Food and Drug Administration.

After assurances given in talks between the Chief Minister and student representatives, MPSC Secretary Mahendra Harpalkar was relieved of the duties.

On September 30, Fadnavis had assured students that a retired judge would inquire into the functioning of the MPSC chairman within three months.

The MPSC had earlier postponed its State Services Main Examination, which was due on October 3, and decided to re-evaluate the 2025 answer sheets.

NCP (SP) MLA Rohit Pawar gave a 48-hour ultimatum demanding the removal of the MPSC chairman, according to the Free Press Journal.

He warned that more than 100,000 students could protest in Pune or march to Mantralaya if the demand was not met, according to the same report.

The protest was being held at SM Joshi Bridge in Pune, according to the Free Press Journal.

Opposition leaders including Uddhav Thackeray’s Shiv Sena faction have pressed the government on MPSC governance, according to UNI.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi was expected to meet aspirants on October 7 and 8, according to the Free Press Journal.

The MPSC conducts recruitment examinations for posts in the Maharashtra government.

A recommendation from the Chief Minister to the Governor is not an order, and the committee takes shape only when the Governor acts on it.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has recommended that Governor Jishnu Dev Varma set up a high-level committee on the Maharashtra Public Service Commission, or MPSC.

Mantralaya, Mumbai (file image), Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

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