MPSC Drug Inspector Recruitment Cancelled After Police Probe Flags Question Paper Leak

The Maharashtra Public Service Commission (MPSC) has cancelled the recruitment process for Drug Inspector, Group-B posts in the Food and Drug Administration department after a preliminary police inquiry indicated that the question paper was allegedly leaked before the screening examination.

The screening test was conducted on March 22, 2026, at six divisional headquarters across Maharashtra. The results were declared on June 12, with 506 candidates qualifying for interviews. Of these, 488 candidates appeared for interviews between July 1 and July 22, after which the Commission published a provisional merit list.

The decision to cancel the recruitment followed complaints received by the MPSC between July 22 and July 26 alleging malpractice in the examination.

According to the Commission, candidates and public representatives claimed that some aspirants had access to the question paper or questions before the examination began, and that the material was circulated through electronic platforms.

Police Report Leads To Cancellation

The MPSC approached the Mumbai Police Commissioner on July 27 seeking an investigation into the allegations.

The Deputy Commissioner of Police, Crime Investigation Branch, later submitted a preliminary inquiry report to the Commission. The MPSC said the report indicated, prima facie, that a single candidate had received the question paper before the examination and that it was leaked.

The Commission said it cancelled the recruitment process conducted under advertisement number 116/2025 to protect the confidentiality, integrity and transparency of its examination system.

Fresh Exam For Eligible Candidates

The MPSC has announced that a fresh screening examination will be conducted for the Drug Inspector recruitment.

Candidates who were eligible in the cancelled recruitment process will not need to submit fresh applications, and no examination fee will be charged for the re-examination. The Commission will separately announce the new examination date and schedule.

The cancellation restarts the recruitment process from the examination stage, despite interviews already being completed for most shortlisted candidates.

Opposition Questions Government Over Paper Leak

The cancellation has drawn criticism from opposition parties, with leaders targeting the Maharashtra government over alleged examination irregularities.

Congress leader Udit Raj accused the government of failing to prevent paper leaks and urged students to protest.

“By now, almost 160 papers have been leaked. So, the paper leak in Maharashtra is nothing to be surprised about. I would tell the youth and the students to protest and uproot the Fadnavis government,” Raj told ANI.

Congress leader Nana Patole also held the state government responsible, saying, “The Devendra Fadnavis government is responsible for this. The government should accept responsibility and resign. Playing with the future of students is unacceptable.”

NCP (Sharad Pawar faction) leader Rohit Pawar questioned the MPSC’s statement that the leaked paper had reached only one candidate.

“Even though the commission has cancelled the paper, their explanation that the paper was only with one student is absolutely unacceptable,” Pawar said.

He alleged that the paper was circulated through an organised network, claiming, “According to the information we have received, the fact is that papers were sold for 40-40 lakhs through an agent racket operating across the state, and the commission is also aware of this fact.”

Maharashtra Navnirman Sena leader Sandeep Deshpande also questioned why an FIR had not been registered despite the preliminary inquiry findings.

“When you have accepted that there was a paper leak and that the paper was in someone's possession before the exam, why has an FIR not been registered?” Deshpande asked.

The MPSC has not announced any further details regarding criminal proceedings and said information about the fresh examination will be issued separately.