Six arrested in Drug Inspector paper leak case
The MPSC had cancelled the recruitment process for Drug Inspector, Group-B posts in the Food and Drug Administration on August 26 after a preliminary inquiry into irregularities in the screening test held on March 22, 2026
- ✓The MPSC had cancelled the recruitment process for Drug Inspector, Group-B posts in the Food and Drug Administration on August 26 after a preliminary inquiry into irregularities in the screening test held on March 22, 2026
- ✓The confidentiality of the examination process of the Maharashtra Public Service Commission was violated, according to the police.
- ✓The Court has remanded the accused in police custody till September 2, 2026.
- ✓The Commission had received from some candidates between July 22 to July 26, 2026, from candidates and public representatives.
Six people have been arrested on Wednesday (August 26, 2026) in the Drug Inspector, Group-B question paper leak case conducted by the Maharashtra Public Service Commission (MPSC).
The police allegedly found that the questions were illegally obtained from the original question set prepared by examination experts, and that a separate question paper set was prepared and later made available to people illegally. The confidentiality of the examination process of the Maharashtra Public Service Commission was violated, according to the police.
The police arrested Vishweshwar Dattatray Nakate (Assistant Cell Officer, MPSC), Abhijit Ganapatrao Lendve (Under Secretary, MPSC), Gopal Bhattu Marathe (Assistant Cell Officer, MPSC), Pravin Dilip Patil (Director, Kautilya Academy, Nandurbar), Amrit Namdev Patil and Lokesh alias Gaurav Rajendra Patil for allegedly being involved in the crime, and they were arrested on August 26, 2026. They were produced before Sessions Court No. 4. The Court has remanded the accused in police custody till September 2, 2026.
The MPSC cancelled the recruitment process for Drug Inspector, Group-B posts in the Food and Drug Administration Department, earlier on Wednesday, after a preliminary inquiry by the Mumbai Police into complaints of irregularities in the screening test held on March 22, 2026.
The Commission had received from some candidates between July 22 to July 26, 2026, from candidates and public representatives. Some candidates said that they received the question paper before the examination began, while others claimed to have received the question paper through circulation on social media.
A preliminary report submitted by the Mumbai Police Crime Branch found that, prima facie, a single candidate received the question set and benefited from it. It was not clear from the report whether multiple people benefited from it.
The Commission said it would conduct a re-examination for the posts of Drug Inspector, Group-B, Food and Drug Administration. Previously applied candidates will not be required to apply again, and no examination fee will be charged for it, the MPSC said. A notification regarding the re-examination will be published separately, they added.
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| Issuing Authority | The Hindu National |
|---|---|
| Topic Category | INDIA |
| Jurisdiction | All India / National |
| Publication Date | 26 August 2026 |