Nationalist Congress Party (SP) MLA Rohit Pawar claimed on Monday that the question paper for the Maharashtra Public Service Commission’s (MPSC) Drug Inspector recruitment exam, conducted under the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), was compromised and called for an immediate probe.
According to Pawar, the recruitment notification was released on July 29 2025, the written test took place on March 22 of the same year, and roughly 44,500 candidates participated. The results were announced on June 12, followed by a provisional merit list on July 22 that listed 506 candidates as qualified, of whom 150 were selected for the post.
There is a coaching class named Kautilya Academy in Nandurbar. The paper was leaked through a person associated with the institute. I am not saying the entire MPSC paper was leaked, but the individual responsible for setting the paper appears to have been compromised. Students of this coaching class had nearly 90 per cent of the questions beforehand.”
Pawar alleged that the leaked questions were distributed to students two days before the exam after a payment was made. He said the material was shared via WhatsApp, deleted within minutes using the “Delete for All” feature, but one student managed to download the file and forward it to another person, providing evidence that later reached the police.
During the press conference, Pawar displayed documents he said were copies of the original examination paper alongside the allegedly pre‑circulated questions, asserting that the two sets were substantially similar. He announced plans to meet MPSC officials and FDA Commissioner Tukaram Mundhe to press for corrective action.
The MPSC responded that it had taken the complaint concerning the Drug Inspector (Group B) recruitment examination seriously. The commission noted that the original complainant, when summoned for a hearing, withdrew the grievance and described the initial complaint as a misunderstanding. MPSC Secretary Mahendra Harpalkar stated that all evidence and representations would be examined thoroughly and that a formal police complaint would be filed against anyone found responsible.
Poor students work extremely hard for these examinations. There appears to be a pattern where papers are leaked by taking money to ensure certain people enter the system.
Pawar extended his concerns to other recent recruitment exams in Maharashtra, citing alleged paper‑leak incidents in TET, NEET, SRPF, HSC Chemistry, Water Conservation, Public Works Department, Kotwal, Talathi and Mahagenco selections. He emphasized that while he does not claim the entire MPSC examination was compromised, the alleged breach involving the paper setter raises serious questions about the integrity of the recruitment process.