MPSC Drug Inspector exam cancelled, Rutuja Patil held in paper leak

The Mumbai Police Crime Branch arrested Rutuja Patil in the MPSC Drug Inspector exam paper leak case. The MPSC cancelled the recruitment process after it was found that a candidate had gained prior access to the question paper before the exam.

Accused Rutuja Patil on Tuesday has been taken into custody from Nandurbar by the Property Cell of the Crime Branch in connection with the Maharashtra Public Service Commission (MPSC) Drug Inspector examination paper leak case, according to Mumbai Police.

The development comes after the MPSC cancelled the entire recruitment process for the post of Drug Inspector in the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Department following irregularities in the examination. The decision was taken after an investigation by the Crime Investigation Branch reportedly found that one candidate had gained prior access to the question paper.

Investigation and Previous Arrests

On August 26, the Crime Branch arrested six individuals in connection with the breach of confidentiality related to the MPSC Drug Inspector (Group-B) examination. According to Mumbai police, a case was registered under the Maharashtra Competitive Examination (Prevention of Malpractices) Act, 2024, and the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988. The investigation revealed that the accused had illegally obtained questions from the examination set. Following the investigation, six accused were apprehended. The accused were produced before the court, which remanded them to police custody till September 2.

Recruitment Process Timeline

The MPSC had earlier initiated a preliminary inquiry following complaints regarding alleged malpractice in the screening examination held on March 22. The Commission had published an advertisement for the Drug Inspector post on July 29, 2025. The screening examination was conducted offline on March 22 at six divisional headquarters in Maharashtra, and its result was declared on June 12. Following the screening examination, 506 candidates were found eligible for interviews. Of these, interviews of 488 candidates were conducted between July 1 and July 22. After the completion of interviews, the Commission published a provisional general merit list comprising 488 candidates, including 485 eligible and three ineligible candidates for the post.

Complaints Allege Malpractice

Meanwhile, between July 22 and July 26, the Commission received complaints through email from candidates and public representatives alleging malpractice in the March 22 screening examination. The complaints alleged that some candidates had received the question paper or questions before the examination, on March 20, and that these were subsequently circulated through social media or electronic media. (ANI)

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianet Newsable English staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)