The Maharashtra Public Service Commission on Monday denied allegations of a paper leak in the drug inspector recruitment examination after the Opposition alleged large scale irregularities and demanded a Central Bureau of Investigation probe.

The autonomous body said that despite this, it has ordered a police investigation into the alleged irregularities given the “sensitivity of the case”.

Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar) Rohit Pawar claimed the question paper for the examination that was held on March 22, had been circulated on WhatsApp two days prior to individuals linked to the Kautilya Academy in Nandurbar, The Times of India reported.

“A fee of Rs 12 lakh was paid for the paper, of which Rs 5 lakh was paid in advance,” the Opposition leader said.

He alleged that around 90 of the 100 questions in the examination matched the leaked document.

He also alleged that students had submitted complaints to the commission on July 21, but no action had been taken, and called for an inquiry by the Central Bureau of Investigation, PTI reported.

He further sought a forensic examination of the WhatsApp screenshots, retrieval of call records and chats, and a stay on the final results and appointments until the inquiry is completed, India Today reported.

The Maharashtra Public Service Commission confirmed that it had received a complaint on July 21 and asked the complainant to provide evidence.

According to the commission, further material, including WhatsApp screenshots claiming the paper had been circulated before the examination, was submitted on July 23.

Following this, the complainant and other individuals named in the complaint were asked to appear before it. However, they did not do so.

The commission claimed that it later received another email from the complainant on July 26 stating that the allegations were incorrect and had been made “jokingly”.

The commission has now alleged that the second person had done so after failing the examination and “spread the rumor of a paper leak in hopes of having the exam cancelled and re-conducted”.

Meanwhile, Praveen Patil, the director of Kautilya Academy, has denied any involvement in a paper leak, PTI reported.

He said the academy had no role in any wrongdoing and that the students concerned had approached him only for interview guidance.

The developments come following nationwide protests led by the Cockroach Janta Party political campaign demanding the resignation of Dharmendra Pradhan as the Union education minister on account of the alleged mismanagement of a series of competitive exams. Pradhan resigned as the education minister on July 25, after which the Cockroach Janta Party withdrew its agitation.

Edited by Neerad Pandharipande.

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