The Maharashtra Public Service Commission has temporarily halted a tender to shred and process waste documents after NCP (SP) MLA Rohit Pawar raised concerns that records could be destroyed while a judicial inquiry into alleged examination paper leaks and the commission’s functioning is underway.
The MPSC announced the decision in a post on X, stating that a circular published on its website had been temporarily stayed. The commission’s move came hours after Pawar questioned the timing of the tender and urged the state government or the MPSC secretary to stop the disposal of scrap until the inquiry is completed.
The tender covered the disposal of several categories of material, including answer sheets, answer booklets, application forms, letters, magazines, old documents, polythene bags and sweeping waste. Pawar said the documents should first be scrutinised as part of the investigation into alleged irregularities in the recruitment examination system.
“Why the sudden rush to dispose of and destroy old documents from MPSC? Why all this ‘haste’?” Pawar said in a post on X. He linked the issue to the judicial inquiry and the role of IAS officer Tukaram Mundhe, who is serving as secretary of the committee appointed to examine the allegations and recommend changes to the commission’s functioning.
After the MPSC announced the temporary stay, Pawar said the suspension of the process did not resolve the broader concerns. He called for the inquiry to proceed and said those responsible for leaking examination papers should face action. The supplied report does not indicate whether any of the documents listed in the tender had already been collected, processed or destroyed before the stay was announced.
The state government has appointed a five-member, high-level inquiry committee headed by former Chief Justice of the Allahabad High Court Dilip Bhosale. The committee is examining allegations of paper leaks and the functioning of the MPSC, with Mundhe serving as its secretary.
The tender controversy comes during a wider administrative reshuffle at the commission. MPSC chairperson Vivek Bhimanwar announced that he would proceed on leave until the judicial inquiry into the alleged paper leaks and the commission’s functioning is completed. Officials said an existing MPSC member is expected to receive additional charge as acting chairperson during his absence.
The state government has also terminated the deputation of MPSC secretary Mahendra Harpalkar. Mumbai suburban collector Saurabh Katiyar, an IAS officer of the 2016 batch, has been given additional charge as MPSC secretary. Existing commission members include Abhay Wagh, Satish Deshpande, Rajeev Nivatkar, Dilip Patil-Bhujbal and Satish Waghole.
MPSC aspirants in Pune ended an 11-day agitation after Bhimanwar announced his leave. The protest had been led by Pawar and was linked to demands for action over alleged examination paper leaks and changes in the commission’s administration.
The immediate next step is the continuation of the judicial inquiry and the review of the document-disposal process. The MPSC has not announced a new date for the tender or indicated whether the listed records will be preserved, examined or disposed of after the inquiry’s findings.
