28 July,2026 11:55 AM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondent
Whistleblower Rishikesh Gangurde Patil. Pic/ X
Whistleblower Rishikesh Gangurde Patil on Tuesday alleged irregularities in the Maharashtra Public Service Commission (MPSC) Drug Inspector recruitment exam, claiming that a selected group of candidates received 90 of the 200 questions that appeared in the examination two days before the test.
Patil said he obtained evidence on July 23 related to the MPSC Drug Inspector exam held on March 22. According to him, the questions were allegedly circulated as "guess papers" on March 20, just ahead of the examination.
Demanding a detailed investigation, Patil called for a forensic probe, including analysis of mobile phones and the network allegedly involved in the case, including coaching classes.
He said the investigation should identify all those involved in the alleged leak and expose the entire chain behind the irregularities.
Patil added that he was summoned to Byculla Police Station on Tuesday in connection with the matter and that a meeting with Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has also been scheduled.
Meanwhile, Nationalist Congress Party-Sharadchandra Pawar (NCP-SP) MLA Rohit Pawar on Monday sought an immediate halt to the recruitment of 154 drug inspectors in Maharashtra, alleging that questions from the Maharashtra Public Service Commission (MPSC) screening test had circulated on WhatsApp two days before the examination and matched more than 90 per cent of the actual paper.
Pawar submitted a letter to Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Tukaram Mundhe seeking a freeze on the recruitment process and later approached MPSC Chairman Vivek Bhimanwar with what he described as digital evidence of the alleged leak.
The MPSC, however, contested the allegations. Bhimanwar said a candidate who had complained about the alleged leak subsequently emailed the commission saying the claim had been made "in jest" because a friend had failed the examination and wanted it cancelled. The commission said it would approach the police to investigate the allegations.
Speaking outside the FDA headquarters, Pawar linked the integrity of drug inspector recruitment to public health.
"If an officer buys their way into the FDA for lakhs of rupees, their priority will be recovering that money, not checking spurious drugs. We have seen tragic outcomes like fatal cough syrup incidents - we cannot allow compromised officers into the system," he said.
Pawar has questioned the circumstances under which the complainant withdrew the allegation and claimed complainants may have been pressured into retracting their statements.
