MPSC chairman goes on leave, Tukaram Mundhe named secretary of inquiry panel as Pune aspirants end 11-day protest

Maharashtra Public Service Commission (MPSC) chairman Vivek Bhimanwar will stay away from office until an inquiry into the alleged examination paper leak is completed, and senior IAS officer Tukaram Mundhe has been named secretary of the panel set up to examine the commission. Aspirants in Pune suspended their 11-day agitation early on 12 October after the decision.

Bhimanwar announced on X at around 1.24 am on Monday that he would go on leave, shortly after the state government unveiled the inquiry, National Herald reported. ANI reported that the government had sent him on compulsory leave until the inquiry is completed.

Panel to review the commission

According to National Herald, the high-level inquiry and review committee is headed by former Bombay High Court chief justice Dilip Bhosale. It will examine alleged paper leaks and administrative irregularities, identify weaknesses in the commission’s functioning and recommend reforms.

• Chair: former chief justice Dilip Bhosale
• Members: former justice P.D. Naik, retired secretary Ganesh Patil, Inspector General of Police Lakhmi Gautam and Tukaram Mundhe, who is also secretary
• Deadline: reform report within two months
• Protest: 11 days near Navi Peth and the S.M. Joshi Bridge in Pune

“The state government has announced a judicial inquiry into the MPSC paper leak case,” Bhimanwar said in his post on X, as quoted by ANI. “Therefore, I have decided to go on leave during this period.” He added that “the autonomy, credibility, and interests of students of the MPSC have always been my priority.”

Aspirants suspend agitation

The breakthrough came after late-night talks between minister Shivendraraje Bhosale, MLAs including Rohit Pawar and Vishwajeet Kadam, and a delegation of protesting aspirants. Bhosale told ANI that cases registered against students during the agitation would be withdrawn, and promised strict action against those found guilty.

“A positive stance regarding the MPSC has been established; the committee simply needed to make some technical adjustments,” Bhosale told ANI.

ANI noted that the aspirants’ main demand had been Bhimanwar’s resignation, and that this remained a point of contention. The protest has been suspended provisionally.

Pressure from the opposition

On 5 October, NCP (SP) MLA Rohit Pawar gave the government 48 hours to meet the aspirants’ demands, which included Bhimanwar’s removal and an audit of the commission’s recruitment process. He warned of a Pune bandh or a march to Mantralaya, according to an IANS report carried by National Herald. BJP minister Nitesh Rane accused Pawar of using students’ grievances for political purposes.

After the agitation was suspended, Pawar welcomed the outcome but said the students’ original demand had been the chairman’s resignation, National Herald reported. He said the administration must stay accountable for carrying out improvements within the set timeframe.

The row follows the Drug Inspector recruitment process. According to ANI, the screening test was held on 22 March at six divisional headquarters, and 506 candidates qualified for interviews. After complaints that some candidates had the questions before the exam, MPSC cancelled the entire recruitment process for the post.

Sources: ANI, National Herald, National Herald (IANS).