Palghar, Oct 9 — Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Friday clarified on the demand by MPSC aspirants for the resignation of Chairman Vivek Bhimanwar over irregularities, saying that the current Chairman had not even assumed office when the alleged paper leaks took place.
"Students were informed that the Chairman whose resignation they are seeking was not in office at the time the paper leak occurred," CM Fadnavis stated. "He joined after the leak took place. How can we directly demand or accept his resignation for actions that occurred prior to his tenure?" he questioned.
Elaborating further on the state's recourse, the Chief Minister announced that the government is fully prepared to initiate a judicial inquiry led by a retired judge. "We have stated that we are ready to set up a judicial inquiry headed by a judge," CM Fadnavis said.
"Whether it is the current Chairman, former officials, or any other officer—whoever is found guilty in that inquiry, we are ready to take strict action against them all. The only question is under what circumstances can we ask for the resignation of someone who wasn't even in office at the time?" he asked. The CM further highlighted the legal limitations of the state administration, noting that the power to remove an MPSC Chairman does not rest with the state government.
"Even if an official is to be removed, that authority lies solely with the President of India, not the state government. If the inquiry committee submits a report finding any wrongdoing—even against someone who was not in position at the time—we are ready to recommend their removal to the President under Article 317," he asserted.
Addressing the ongoing demonstrations, CM Fadnavis remarked that while the movement initially started with genuine MPSC students, it has now transformed into a political exercise. "It is no longer a student agitation; it has turned entirely political and is being run like an event. Nonetheless, our government is continuously attempting to resolve the issue through dialogue," he said.
He further pointed out that the High Court has declared the current sit-in protest illegal and explicitly ruled against occupying the space. "Despite the High Court's directions, the protesters remain seated in contempt of court. Our priority remains ensuring justice for the students," CM Fadnavis added.
Meanwhile, NCP SP MLA Rohit Pawar has demanded the resignation of Maharashtra Public Service Commission (MPSC) Chairman Vivek Bhimanwar over the paper leak issue in the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Drug Inspector recruitment examination.
Under Rohit Pawar’s leadership, an agitation by MPSC aspirants is currently underway in Pune. In connection with this protest, the Pune Police have registered cases against 15 students. Questioning this police action, Rohit Pawar posted a sharp statement challenging the Pune Police, "If you are so eager to file false cases, cancel the charges against the students and register cases against me instead."
"The students' Satyagraha began on October 1. On that day, Hrishikesh Gangurde—who exposed the paper leak near Indulal Complex—along with Omkar Patil, Gajanan Shelke, Somnath Chavan, and Sanket Kanse were not even present there; they were at their native villages. How then did the police allegedly see them near Indulal Complex on that day?" he asked in a post on X.
"In the FIR description, Pramod Patil’s gender is listed as female, while Priyanka Choudhary’s gender is listed as male. So many errors in an FIR?? Looking at all this, one wonders if the officer who drafted the FIR was the one who leaked the paper," he stated.
"Anyway, this is what happens when the police start acting on orders from their masters above. This is the government's intimidation tactic against the students, but students will not be scared by such pressure. All these charges are bailable, and we have brought together a large legal team to stand by them. Therefore, instead of filing false cases, the government should remove corrupt Bhimanwar from his post. Is he a son-in-law of the government?" he questioned.
"If you are so fond of registering false cases, drop the charges against the students and register them against me," noted Rohit Pawar.