MPSC Probe To Be Headed By IAS Officer Tukaram Mundhe; Rohit Pawar Says Chairman Must Go

The 11-day-long protest by Maharashtra Public Service Commission (MPSC) aspirants at S M Joshi Bridge in Pune witnessed a major development on Sunday, with the state government proposing a 60-day inquiry into alleged irregularities in the commission, to be headed by former judge Dilip Bhosale, with senior IAS officer Tukaram Mundhe as its secretary.

However, NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar) MLA Rohit Pawar reiterated that MPSC chairman Vivek Bhimanwar must resign, making it clear that the investigation alone would not address the protesters’ principal demand.

Public Works Minister, Shivendrasinhraje Bhosale, visited the protest site late Sunday after holding discussions with Pawar at Circuit House. The minister presented a draft proposal outlining the government’s commitments towards investigating the alleged irregularities and introducing reforms in the commission.

The proposed five-member committee will be chaired by former judge Dilip Bhosale, with Mundhe as secretary. Its other members will be IPS officer Lakhmi Gautam, retired secretary Ganesh Patil and former judge P D Naik. The committee will investigate alleged irregularities in MPSC examinations, including cases involving paper leaks, within 60 days.

Pawar said the inquiry must cover the commission’s functioning at every level, from its staff to its leadership. He added that if the current chairman, former chairman or any commission official was found guilty, the committee would recommend appropriate action, including removal from office through the prescribed constitutional process under Article 317. He also demanded that the paper leak investigation being handled by the Mumbai Crime Branch be transferred to the committee.

Explaining the decision to cooperate with the proposed inquiry while maintaining the demand for the chairman’s resignation, Pawar said, “The resignation remains our main demand. How long can we stretch the agitation over one issue? We can continue for months, but now that the government has come forward for discussions, we also need to cooperate. Let us give the committee space to investigate. If the current or former chairman, or any officer, is found guilty of misconduct, action must follow. If there is evidence involving Telegram groups, those too should be investigated.”

Pawar stressed that the agitation had been initiated by students to bring their concerns to the attention of the Maharashtra Chief Minister. He maintained that the demand for Bhimanwar’s resignation remained central to the movement, despite the government’s proposal for an independent inquiry.

Bhosale said, “The government would undertake reforms in MPSC’s functioning and address vacancies.” He announced that recruitment to 1,600 posts in the Public Works Department would be completed within 15 days. The number of posts in the Group C examination scheduled for January 3, 2027, would also be doubled, he said.

The government’s draft further proposes a regular annual examination calendar, with recruitment processes to be completed within a year. All examinations will be conducted offline, while a single-card system for examinations is also proposed. The V Radhakrishnan committee will decide on examination fees. Departmental staffing structures will be published annually, providing details of sanctioned, vacant and filled posts.

Pawar said vacant posts in MPSC would be filled over the next three years. The government has also proposed withdrawing cases registered against protesters and cancelling notices issued during the agitation.

Despite the government’s assurances, Pawar did not call off the protest. The agitation at S M Joshi Bridge continues, with aspirants maintaining their demand for Bhimanwar’s resignation, alongside calls for transparency in recruitment and accountability for alleged examination irregularities.