Mumbai: Shiv Sena MLC Bacchu Kadu on Sunday demanded the resignation of the Maharashtra Public Service Commission chairman and secretary on "moral grounds" over the alleged leak of the FDA inspector exam paper and a series of controversies surrounding competitive examinations.
His demands come in the wake of the police on Wednesday arresting six individuals, including three MPSC officials, in connection with the alleged leak of the question paper of the Drug Inspector (Group-B) screening examination held earlier this year.
The officials had said the accused allegedly accessed the examination questions ahead of the test, compiled them into a separate set, and distributed it to unauthorised persons.
"The commission's top office-bearers should accept moral responsibility and quit. If they do not, I will demand their resignation from the chief minister and deputy chief minister (Eknath Shinde)," Kadu stated on a social media post.
He demanded that the MPSC chairman and members have no political affiliations or connections, while the secretary should be a senior IAS officer rather than an official from the state secretariat cadre.
Kadu further sought a detailed inquiry into the appointment of the commission's present joint secretary and controller of examinations, alleging that officials from the Mantralaya cadre were deputed without the commission's approval.
The controller of examinations should also face a criminal case as the post carries primary responsibility for the examination process, particularly issues relating to the security and confidentiality of question papers, Kadu said, threatening to take to the streets for the cause of students.
In 2018, alleged irregularities during the Maharashtra Teacher Eligibility Test (TET) came to light during an investigation, including allegations of manipulation of marks. The 2020 Maharashtra TET was also embroiled in allegations of manipulation of OMR sheets and software to increase marks, with several arrests reported in the case.
In 2021, the Health Department Group-C examination faced allegations that its question paper had been leaked before the examination. The Group-D examination of the department that year was cancelled following an alleged paper leak and subsequently conducted afresh.
The same year, the Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority (MHADA) recruitment examination was cancelled following allegations of a paper leak, with the recruitment process restarted.
More recently, the 2026 Maharashtra TET examination was postponed after a question paper was seized on the eve of the test, with an SIT investigation initiated into the matter.
This report was published from a wire feed. Apart from the headline, the EdexLive Desk has not edited the copy.
