MPSC Row: Devendra Fadnavis Orders Secretary’s Transfer, Judicial Probe After Aspirants’ Protest Threat

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Wednesday announced the immediate transfer of the Maharashtra Public Service Commission (MPSC) secretary and a judicial inquiry into the functioning of the commission’s former and current chairpersons and members. The inquiry will be conducted within three months under Article 317 of the Constitution. The decisions followed a meeting between Fadnavis and a delegation of MPSC aspirants, who had raised concerns over the commission’s functioning and recruitment process. Following the assurances, the aspirants decided to temporarily suspend their planned protest on October 2.

According to the Chief Minister’s Office, the government will take further action based on the findings of the judicial inquiry. The government has also assured candidates that MPSC examinations will continue to be conducted offline and that any change in the examination mode will be considered only after discussions with stakeholders. Maharashtra: MPSC Paper Leak Case Accused Taken into Custody by Crime Branch.

On recruitment, the government accepted the demand to increase vacancies for the Group C examination scheduled for January 3. The state said it was working towards filling a record number of vacancies as recruitment rules in several departments are being revised.

The government said recruitment rules have already been framed for 60 per cent of departments, while work is underway for the remaining departments. It also plans to announce vacancies for three years together and start the recruitment process for posts expected to fall vacant because of retirements one year in advance. A complete recruitment schedule is expected to be finalised within a month. The state has also proposed a single card system that would allow candidates to appear for different examinations at a nominal cost. Another system is being planned to prevent candidates from having to submit the same documents repeatedly for different recruitment processes.

The latest decisions come amid continuing concerns among MPSC aspirants over examination procedures, recruitment vacancies and the functioning of the commission. Separately, MPSC had postponed several 2026 main examinations, including the State Services Main Examination scheduled from October 3, amid objections raised by candidates. MPSC Aspirant Dies by Suicide in Pune, Leaves Note on INR 2.5 Lakh Debt; Sparks Anger Over Exam Delays.

A government committee reviewing Maharashtra’s competitive examination system has also been examining issues including examination-pattern changes, delays in results and appointments, question-paper quality, answer-sheet evaluation and technology use in recruitment. The committee has interacted with around 1,700 aspirants and received nearly 30,000 suggestions, according to its chairperson V Radha.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Sep 30, 2026 10:22 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).