Maharashtra Public Service Commission (MPSC) chairman Vivek Bhimanwar has gone on leave until the completion of a state-ordered inquiry into the commission’s functioning and alleged question-paper leaks, as aspirants ended an 11-day protest in Pune after the government accepted their demands.
Bhimanwar told The Indian Express on Monday that he decided to leave his post temporarily after listening to his “moral conscience” and denied that political or external pressure had influenced the decision. He said the inquiry committee would examine the MPSC’s entire functioning and that he did not consider it appropriate to remain chairman while the probe was under way.
“As a committee has been announced that has the purview over the entire functioning of the MPSC and conduct an inquiry, I don’t feel it right to be on the post as the chairman for the time period. I listened to my moral conscience and decided that I will go on leave for this period,” Bhimanwar said.
The chairman also denied receiving any direction from the Chief Minister’s Office. Asked whether he had been made a political scapegoat, Bhimanwar said he did not want to comment on the political aspect. He said he could not comment on whether the other commission members would also go on leave, adding that each member would have to take an individual decision.
The Indian Express contacted the five other MPSC members. Dr Abhay Wagh and Dr Dilip Patil-Bhujbal did not respond to repeated calls. Dr Satish Deshpande, Rajeev Nivatkar and Satish Waghole said they were unaware that the inquiry committee had been formed and had no knowledge of Bhimanwar’s decision. They declined to comment on the protests and the aspirants’ demands, saying it would not be appropriate for them to speak to the media.
The inquiry follows protests by MPSC aspirants in Pune over alleged malpractices in government recruitment examinations. The agitation was held near the S M Joshi Bridge, with aspirants demanding Bhimanwar’s resignation. The protest was called off after Public Works Department Minister Shivendra Raje Bhosale met the candidates along with Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar) MLA Rohit Pawar and Congress MLA Vishwajeet Kadam.
The state has assigned the committee the task of reviewing the commission’s functioning, identifying flaws and suggesting improvements. It will investigate all allegations related to question-paper leaks in MPSC examinations and submit its report to the government within two months.
Former Bombay High Court Chief Justice Dilip Bhosale will chair the committee. Its other proposed members are former Justice P D Naik, state Food and Drug Administration commissioner Mundhe, retired secretary Ganesh Patil and Inspector General of Police Lakhmi Gautam. The inquiry will now determine the scope of the alleged leaks and whether weaknesses in the examination system contributed to them.
The developments have placed the commission’s internal coordination under scrutiny. While the chairman said he was stepping aside to avoid remaining in office during the inquiry, three members told the newspaper they had not been informed about the committee’s formation. The committee’s report, due within two months, is expected to establish the findings and recommend the next steps for the recruitment examination system.
