MPSC paper ‘leak’: Fourth Commission official arrested, total arrests rise to 13

The investigation reached 13 arrests after the Special Investigation Team detained Rohit Kolatakke in Navi Mumbai on October 23, 2026. Kolatakke is an assistant section officer with the Maharashtra Public Service Commission. The case concerns the alleged leak of the Drug Inspector recruitment examination paper held in March 2026. The arrest matters because it points to possible involvement inside the commission itself.

Investigators allege that Kolatakke obtained the confidential question set from Abhijit Lendve, an MPSC under-secretary arrested earlier. Earlier findings also named assistant section officer Vishweshwar Nakate and other officials. Police suspect the material moved onward to coaching operators, middlemen and candidates, often for financial gain.

The 13 arrests therefore reflect a widening probe, not just one accused candidate. Those arrested include commission officials, a coaching institute director, alleged intermediaries and three candidates. The latest development may help investigators identify how the paper was removed, copied, circulated and allegedly used before the examination.

The Maharashtra Public Service Commission, or MPSC, is the state body that conducts competitive recruitment examinations for Maharashtra government positions. Its role is to organise examinations, manage confidential question papers, assess candidates and support selection for public posts. This process helps the government fill vacancies through a formal, merit-based competition.

The article’s example is the Drug Inspector Group B screening examination held on March 22, 2026. It was conducted at six centres across Maharashtra to fill 154 vacancies in the Food and Drug Administration department. Candidates who cleared the process could progress toward interviews and appointment.

The alleged leak strikes at the commission’s central responsibility: protecting examination material and ensuring equal conditions. MPSC cancelled this recruitment process after a preliminary police inquiry indicated that at least one candidate had obtained the question set before the examination. That decision affected candidates who had already reached interviews.

The affected recruitment process was substantial but clearly defined. The MPSC held the Drug Inspector Group B screening examination on March 22, 2026, across six centres in Maharashtra. It was intended to fill 154 vacancies in the Food and Drug Administration department. These figures show why the alleged leak had consequences beyond a single test room.

The commission cancelled the recruitment after 488 candidates had already appeared for interviews. That means the process had progressed well beyond the written examination when the alleged prior access became a serious concern. A preliminary police inquiry indicated that at least one candidate had obtained the question set before the test and benefited from it.

The criminal investigation has also expanded. The latest arrest brought the total to 13. Those arrested include MPSC officials, the director of Kautilya Academy, alleged middlemen and three candidates. The numbers connect the administrative impact with the wider suspected circulation network.

Investigators describe a chain that allegedly began inside the MPSC’s confidential section. Question sets prepared by experts were reportedly copied and removed without authorisation before the March 22 examination. The suspected mechanism was unauthorised access followed by duplication and distribution, allowing people outside the commission to see material that should have remained secret.

Earlier findings allegedly showed assistant section officer Vishweshwar Nakate obtained the question set and passed a copy to under-secretary Abhijit Lendve. Police suspect the material then reached coaching institute operators and other intermediaries. Mayur Chandrakant Thakre is accused of linking Amrut Patil with Pravin Patil, director of Kautilya Academy in Nandurbar.

Investigators suspect Thakre helped arrange both the leaked material and financial transactions. The alleged network ultimately reached candidates. Rutuja Patil, Sajid Sande and Vijay Kingar were arrested for allegedly obtaining the examination material. The investigation is examining the roles of officials, operators, middlemen and recipients.

The most immediate consequence was cancellation of the Drug Inspector recruitment process. MPSC took that step in August after a preliminary police inquiry indicated that at least one candidate had obtained the question set before the examination and benefited from it. Cancelling the process was intended to prevent a selection based on unequal access to confidential material.

The decision came after 488 candidates had already appeared for interviews for the 154 available posts. Those candidates had progressed through a lengthy process, but the suspected advantage in the earlier examination made the results difficult to treat as fair. The article does not describe individual outcomes for those candidates after cancellation.

The case also triggered wider institutional and public consequences. Students and aspirants protested alleged irregularities, while the Bombay High Court urged Maharashtra to restore their trust and asked students to return to classes. The commission’s chairman, Vivek Bhimanwar, proceeded on leave until the inquiry was completed.

After a leak, an examination commission generally has several choices. It may investigate and preserve evidence, cancel the compromised test, conduct a fresh examination, or continue only parts proven unaffected. It may also review candidate records and communicate clearly about eligibility, fees and timelines. The suitable response depends on how widely the paper circulated and whether results can still be trusted.

In this case, MPSC cancelled the recruitment process in August. The decision followed a preliminary police inquiry that indicated at least one candidate had obtained the question set before the examination and benefited from it. The supplied text then begins to report that the commission announced a fresh examination, but the excerpt ends mid-sentence.

Candidates had already taken the written examination, and 488 had appeared for interviews for 154 vacancies. Therefore, cancellation removed the value of progress already completed. A fresh process could restore equal conditions, but the article does not state its schedule, eligibility rules or whether candidates must apply again.

Competitive public-service examinations are designed to create a common contest for limited government jobs. Candidates receive the same questions, follow the same rules and are compared through their performance. The commission can then rank applicants and select from the strongest results. This system is valuable because demand for government posts exceeds the number of vacancies.

A question paper obtained before the exam breaks the shared conditions. A candidate with advance access can study the exact material, share it with others or tailor preparation in ways ordinary candidates cannot. In the MPSC case, investigators allege that confidential sets were copied, removed and circulated through officials, coaching operators and middlemen before the Drug Inspector examination.

That alleged advantage makes marks unreliable as a measure of preparation and ability. It can displace candidates who followed the rules and damage confidence in the commission. The cancellation of the 154-post recruitment shows the practical cost: even after 488 interviews, the process could not simply proceed as normal.