Latur: Demonstrators take part in a protest against the alleged irregularities in exams conducted by the Maharashtra Public Service Commission (MPSC), in Latur, Maharashtra
| Photo Credit: PTI
MPSC aspirants on Wednesday (September 30, 2026) decided to temporarily suspend their October 2 agitation after a delegation met Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis. The State government reportedly assured action on several of their demands, including an inquiry concerning present and former Commission office-bearers, the immediate transfer of the MPSC Secretary, continuation of offline examinations, and large-scale recruitment to vacant government posts.
Student representative Nitin Andhale described the meeting as “positive” and said the delegation unanimously decided to temporarily suspend the agitation following the assurances.
Among the key demands was action against present and former Maharashtra Public Service Commission (MPSC) Chairpersons and members under Article 317 of the Constitution. According to details released following the meeting, the government pointed out that the MPSC Chairperson holds a constitutional post and cannot be removed by the State government or Governor. It said a judicial inquiry would be completed within three months and further action would be taken on the basis of its findings.
Mr. Andhale said the Chief Minister also assured the delegation of an inquiry concerning the Commission’s Chairman, Secretary and others in connection with the alleged paper leak issue.
The government also assured the students that the MPSC Secretary would be transferred immediately and that MPSC examinations would continue to be conducted offline. No change in the examination mode would be made without discussions with student stakeholders, according to the assurances conveyed after the meeting.
On recruitment, the government said it was preparing to fill vacancies on a large scale after revising recruitment rules across departments. According to the details shared after the meeting, recruitment rules in several departments had not been revised since 1960, while around 30,000 to 40,000 promotions were pending. Revised rules have now been prepared for around 60% of departments, with work underway for the remaining departments.
The students’ demand for increasing vacancies linked to the Group C examination scheduled for January 3 was also accepted, with the government saying the increase in Group C posts would be at a “record” level.
The State also plans to introduce a “single card” system allowing candidates to appear for multiple recruitment examinations at a nominal cost. The proposed mechanism would also eliminate the need for candidates to repeatedly submit the same documents for different examinations.
Another significant assurance concerns advance recruitment planning. Vacancies expected over the next three years would be announced together, while the recruitment process for posts falling vacant due to retirement would begin a year in advance. The government said a complete programme for this exercise would be prepared within a month.
“The Chief Minister has assured us that students’ issues will continue to be resolved through discussions in the coming period,” Mr. Andhale said. “With the consent of all students in the delegation, we have decided to temporarily suspend the agitation.”
The aspirants had planned to hold their protest on October 2 over their demands concerning MPSC recruitment, examination procedures and accountability within the Commission.
Published – September 30, 2026 09:38 pm IST
