Mumbai, October 7, 2026: The Maharashtra government is duty-bound to ensure that public recruitment examinations are conducted free, fairly and without malpractices, the Bombay High Court said on Wednesday while hearing a plea over continuing student protests in Pune against alleged irregularities in MPSC examinations.
“The State has to give an assurance that whatever examinations are conducted is impartial, fair and there should be no malpractices. There should be sincere effort in restoring trust,” a bench of Chief Justice MC Tripathi and Justice Advait Sethna said.
The bench also said the State had a responsibility to ensure that the recruitment process was streamlined and vacancies were filled, while acknowledging the students’ right to protest if they believed examinations were unfair.
“If they do not have an opportunity and they get the idea that there has been hanky-panky, they have the right to agitate. Because they have given hours of study,” the Chief Justice said.
Court Urges Students To End Protest
The court, however, urged the protesting students to call off their agitation and return to their studies, particularly as the issue was now before the court. It also cautioned that protests should not cause hardship to Pune residents by blocking roads and disrupting daily life.
The bench was hearing a petition filed by Pune residents Amit Supekar and Sourabh Virkar seeking directions for designated protest sites in Pune and action against organisers occupying public spaces without authorisation. The plea cited traffic congestion and disruption caused by the protests.
State Accepts Three Demands
Advocate General Milind Sathe said the State had accepted three of the four major demands raised by the students — a mega recruitment drive for around 70,000 posts, reducing examination fees to Rs 100 and conducting examinations offline.
On the demand for resignation of the MPSC chairman, Sathe said the government would forward its representation to the Governor, as the matter was governed by a prescribed procedure.
The AG also said the government had constituted a committee to examine allegations of examination malpractices. He said police had adopted a restrained approach and had not registered FIRs against the protesting students.
“They are students, they are not antisocial,” the Chief Justice said, appreciating the police approach.
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Court Seeks Roadmap
The court directed the State to submit a roadmap detailing the inquiry and steps taken to address the students’ concerns within three weeks.
The matter will be heard on November 25.
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