Maha: Drug Inspector recruitment process cancelled; re‑examination announced

Mumbai, Aug 25 (IANS) The Maharashtra Public Service Commission (MPSC) on late Tuesday evening announced the cancellation of the recruitment process for the post of Drug Inspector (Group‑B) under the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) department.

The decision follows a preliminary investigation into allegations of malpractice during the screening examination held on March 22, 2026.

The Commission had published advertisement number 116/2025 for the post on July 29, 2025. Subsequently, the Commission conducted an offline screening test on March 22, 2026, across six divisional headquarters in the state.

The results were declared on June 12, 2026, in which 506 candidates qualified for the interview round. Out of these, 488 candidates were interviewed between July 1 and July 22, 2026, the MPSC release said.

Following the interviews, MPSC published a provisional general merit list of all 488 candidates—comprising 485 eligible and three ineligible candidates—on its official website on July 22. However, between July 22 and July 26, the Commission received several email complaints from candidates and elected representatives alleging widespread irregularities in the March 22 test.

The complaints claimed that question papers or specific questions were leaked to certain candidates before the March 20 exam and circulated via social media and electronic channels, the release said. Given the gravity and sensitivity of the matter, MPSC filed a complaint with the Mumbai Police Commissioner on July 27.

The Crime Investigation Department (CID) conducted a preliminary inquiry and submitted its report to the Commission. According to the report, initial findings confirmed that at least one candidate had accessed the question paper beforehand and derived unfair benefit from it.

Clarifying its stance, the Commission said it cancelled the recruitment process to uphold the confidentiality, integrity, transparency, and fairness of its examinations, as well as to maintain candidates’ faith in the institution.

MPSC further announced that a re‑examination will be conducted for the post. Candidates who previously applied will not need to reapply, and no additional fees will be charged for the re‑test. The dates and detailed schedule for the re‑examination will be announced separately through an official notification.

MPSC’s announcement matters because, in late July 2026, allegations surfaced that the question paper for the Drug Inspector exam (held on March 22, 2026, for over 40,000 candidates) was leaked two days earlier via WhatsApp. NCP (SP) MLA Rohit Pawar and opposition leaders alleged that questions were sold for Rs 12 lakh via a coaching academy in Nandurbar, and that children of high‑ranking officials selectively cleared the exam.

MPSC, however, denied the leak, saying one of the initial complainants later withdrew the claim, adding that the circulated PDF differed from the actual question paper.

Despite the retraction, candidate groups, MNS leader Raj Thackeray and opposition parties have demanded an official police FIR, forensic analysis of candidate devices or a CBI probe. MPSC referred the matter for an independent police verification.

–IANS

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