The Maharashtra government on Wednesday announced that the secretary of the Maharashtra Public Service Commission (MPSC) would be transferred immediately and a judicial inquiry would be conducted within three months into the functioning of former and current chairpersons and members, following a major paper leak that led to widespread protests.

The announcement came after chief minister Devendra Fadnavis met a delegation of MPSC aspirants at his official residence. (HT Archive) (Representative Image)

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The announcement came after chief minister Devendra Fadnavis met a delegation of MPSC aspirants at his official residence, Varsha, on Wednesday. Following a nearly two-hour meeting, the students announced that their agitation scheduled for October 2 would be temporarily suspended.

According to a statement from the Chief Minister’s Office, the students were assured that the inquiry report would be submitted within three months and that further action would be taken based on its findings.

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Among the delegation’s demands was the removal of MPSC chairperson VL Bhimanwar and other commission members, the transfer of MPSC secretary Mahendra Harpalkar, and an increase in vacancies for the Group C examination.

The students had sought action against the MPSC chairperson and other members under Article 317 of the Constitution, which governs the removal and suspension of a member of a Public Service Commission.

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According to officials, Fadnavis told the delegation that since the post of MPSC chairperson is a constitutional position, neither the state government nor the governor has the authority to directly remove the chairperson. Only the president can remove the chairperson, and any such demand must be grounded in firm evidence. If the inquiry recommends removing the chairperson, the report will be forwarded to the president for further action.

“We demanded the removal of the chairperson, but the constitutional provision was cited as the reason,” said Nitesh Suryawanshi, one of the students who was part of the delegation. “We are still demanding that the chairperson should resign on ethical grounds, taking responsibility for the paper leaks, as has happened in other states such as Telangana. We have decided to suspend the proposed protest on October 2. We will decide on further protests at a later stage based on the developments.”