Maharashtra Public Service Commission cancels Drug Inspector recruitment exam following malpractice allegations

MUMBAI: The Maharashtra Public Service Commission (MPSC) has decided to cancel the recruitment process conducted for the post of Drug Inspector, Group-B in the Food and Drug Administration Department, an official said.

This decision was taken in the background of a preliminary inquiry conducted after complaints were received regarding alleged malpractice in the screening examination held on March 22.

After the Commision has published an advertisement for the post of Drug Inspector on July 29, 2025, the screening examination was conducted offline on March 22 at six divisional headquarters in the state. The result of this examination was declared on June 12. After the screening examination, 506 candidates were found eligible for the interview. Out of them, interviews of 488 candidates were conducted from July 1 to 22.

After the completion of interviews on July 22, a provisional general merit list of a total of 488 candidates, including 485 eligible and three ineligible for the post of Drug Inspector, was published on the Commission’s website.

The Maharashtra Public Service Commission (MPSC) has decided to cancel the recruitment process conducted for the post of Drug Inspector, Group-B in the Food and Drug Administration Department. This decision was taken in the background of a preliminary inquiry conducted after… pic.twitter.com/DLQiHeytGE

— ANI (@ANI) August 26, 2026

Meanwhile, between July 22 and 26, the Commission received complaints via e-mail from some candidates as well as public representatives regarding malpractice in the screening examination held on March 22. The complaints claimed that before the commencement of the examination, on March 20, some candidates had received the question paper or questions, and they were circulated through social media or electronic media.

Considering the seriousness of these complaints and the sensitivity of the matter, the Commission filed a complaint with the Mumbai Police Commissioner on July 27 for investigation. After that, the Crime Branch conducted a preliminary inquiry and submitted a report to the Commission. According to this report, it has been concluded that, prima facie, it appears that one candidate received the question set and benefited from it.

The Commission has clarified that the decision to cancel the recruitment process has been taken with a view to maintaining the confidentiality, integrity, transparency and impartiality of the examination conducted by the Commission and to keep the candidates’ trust in the Commission intact, an official said.

Meanwhile, a re-examination will be conducted for these posts and the concerned candidates will not need to apply again. Also, no fee will be charged for the re-examination. The date of the re-examination and other details will be announced through a separate press release.

The cancellation of this examination comes in the wake of heightened scrutiny over public examinations across the country, with massive protests happening over the NEET-UG paper leak and JPSC-JSSC in since a few months. (ANI)