Maharashtra forms MPSC inquiry panel; aspirants end Pune protest, chairman goes on leave

Aspirants of the Maharashtra Public Service Commission (MPSC) ended their agitation in Pune late on Sunday, 11 October 2026, after the Maharashtra government formed a committee to examine alleged irregularities, including paper leaks, in the recruitment body, The Hindu and Hindustan Times reported. MPSC Chairman Vivek Bhimanwar then announced that he had gone on leave until the inquiry is completed.

The committee

According to The Hindu and Hindustan Times, former judge Dilip Bhosale chairs the committee. Tukaram Mundhe, the senior IAS officer who is Commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration, is its secretary. The other members are IPS officer Laxmi Gautam, former IAS officer Ganesh Patil and retired judge P.D. Naik.

Punekar News reported that the aspirants had insisted on Mr Mundhe’s appointment as secretary to keep the investigation transparent, and that the government accepted this.

How the protest ended

The aspirants had been protesting at S.M. Joshi Bridge in Pune for about 10 days, by The Hindu’s count; Punekar News described it as a 12-day protest. A state government delegation led by Minister Shivendra Raje Bhosale met them. The aspirants said the removal of Mr Bhimanwar was their main demand, and differences emerged at the site when Rohit Pawar, an MLA of the NCP (SP) who had joined the protest, proposed that the government keep Mr Bhimanwar away from the post until the inquiry ended, because a resignation could take time.

The minister left to speak to Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, returned after about 15 minutes and said the government had agreed, according to The Hindu. A representative of the aspirants then said the agitation had been called off for now.

Background

Hindustan Times reported that the Chief Minister had met a delegation of aspirants on 30 September, announced a judicial inquiry into the functioning of the commission’s former and current chairpersons and members, and promised the transfer of its secretary, who was relieved of the post in early October. The newspaper reported that the state government has maintained that it cannot directly remove the head of a constitutional commission, as that is governed by a separate constitutional process, and that the Bombay High Court has asked the state to present a roadmap for fair examinations and recruitment.

Two days earlier, Pune Police had registered a case against 15 representatives of the agitation for allegedly organising the protest without permission and violating prohibitory orders, and booked five people over drone use at the site, Hindustan Times reported. Mr Pawar said he had asked police to register an FIR against him as well; police told him a decision would follow an investigation.

What happens next

The aspirants’ other demands, as listed by the minister, include withdrawal of cases against some representatives, recruitment to 70,000 posts over three years, more seats in the Group C examination scheduled for January and background checks on the chairman and secretary of the MPSC before appointment. The reports reviewed do not give a deadline for the committee’s work; the aspirants’ representative said they wanted it completed within 60 days.

The state government and the aspirants’ representatives had not, in the reports reviewed, issued further statements on Monday morning. The allegations of paper leaks remain allegations: the reports do not describe any finding by a court or the committee.