MPSC paper leak: High-scoring candidates under scanner; reforms panel on the cards

The Mumbai crime branch investigating the case said candidates who scored high in the exam are under their scanner. Although only one beneficiary has been confirmed so far, police suspect there are many more

MUMBAI: As the investigation continues into the question paper leak of the drug inspector (Group B) exam conducted by the Maharashtra Public Service Commission (MPSC), the state government said a panel will be set up to recommend reforms for all exams conducted by the commission.

MPSC paper leak: High-scoring candidates under scanner; reforms panel on the cards

The Mumbai crime branch investigating the case said candidates who scored high in the exam are under their scanner. Although only one beneficiary has been confirmed so far, police suspect there are many more. Those who took the exam from Nandurbar, where a coaching class director is at the centre of the leak, are under particular scrutiny.

“We have decided to investigate candidates who scored more than 120 marks (out of 200) in the March 2026 examination, and also check their performance in other recently held competitive examinations,” said a police officer.

Police arrested six persons on Wednesday, including three MPSC officials, the Nandurbar coaching class director, a school teacher and a young man, whose ex-girlfriend has been identified as the beneficiary of the leaked question set.

The young woman, Rutuja Patil, whose school-teacher father procured the paper for her two days before the exam, had ranked seventh in the merit list of the now-cancelled recruitment examination, the officer said.

“Although prima facie investigations revealed that Rutuja was only the beneficiary, she had shared the paper with her boyfriend, Gaurav Patil, who was the initial whistleblower. Although his brother took the same exam, Gaurav claims he did not share the leaked paper with him,” said the officer.

“Rutuja had got a set of 91 questions, of which 77 were from the actual question paper. She ranked seventh in the exam and was congratulated all over the state for her achievement. Her father had paid ₹5 lakh for the leaked questions,” said the officer. Police are questioning Rutuja and have not arrested her.

“One of the accused, Pravin Patil, 40, director of Kautilya Academy, played a crucial role in leaking the paper. We are questioning him and checking his phone record and chats to get more details. He ran a coaching academy for competitive exams and his students, especially those who scored more than 120 marks and hail from Nandurbar and nearby areas, are also under our scanner,” said the police officer.

He added that it was unlikely that three MPSC officers risked their jobs for just ₹5 lakh. “We believe it’s a big racket and that Kautilya Academy was involved in leaking papers previously. We will investigate this,” said the police officer.

MPSC has cancelled the March 22 exam and is yet to announce the date for the re-exam.

Meanwhile, chief minister Devendra Fadnavis has announced that a committee will be set up to recommend reforms in exams conducted by the MPSC. “We will take action against everyone involved, regardless of party affiliations,” he said on Thursday. “The committee will speak to all departments, students, teachers and all stakeholders and devise a fool-proof method.’’

Inputs from Yogesh Naik