Maharashtra Public Service Commission aspirants called off their 10-day agitation late on Sunday night after the state government formed a high-level committee to examine alleged irregularities, including paper leaks, in the recruitment body.
Senior IAS officer and Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Tukaram Mundhe has been appointed Secretary of the panel. The committee is chaired by former judge Dilip Bhosale and includes IPS officer Laxmi Gautam, former IAS officer Ganesh Patil and retired judge P.D. Naik.
Following the development, MPSC Chairman Vivek Bhimanwar announced that he had proceeded on leave until the inquiry is completed. In a statement, he said he had always prioritised ethics and chose to step aside during the probe.
A government delegation led by Minister Shivendra Raje Bhosale met the protesters at S.M. Joshi Bridge in Pune and informed them that most of their demands had been accepted. The aspirants’ primary demand had been the removal of the MPSC chairman. NCP (SP) MLA Rohit Pawar, who had joined the protest, suggested that Bhimanwar be kept away from the post until the inquiry concluded, as a formal resignation process could take time.
After some differences among the protesters, Bhosale consulted Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and returned with an assurance that the demand had been accepted. The minister appealed to the aspirants to end the agitation, and representative Vivekanad Patil confirmed that the protest had been called off for the present.
Bhosale also stated that other demands would be addressed, including the withdrawal of cases against certain protest representatives, recruitment to 70,000 posts over three years, an increase in the number of seats for the Group C examination scheduled for January, and background checks on the chairman and secretary of the MPSC before their appointment.
Rohit Pawar welcomed Mundhe’s inclusion on the committee and expressed hope that it would be given the freedom to function properly.
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