Archive · 12 Aug 2026
Maharashtra forms high-level panel to overhaul recruitment exam system
Maharashtra is a big state in India, and it wants the tests people take to get government jobs to be fair.
The leader of the state, Devendra Fadnavis, has chosen a special team of experts called a committee.
This committee will travel to different parts of the state to talk to students, schools and other people.
It will listen to their ideas and then suggest ways to make the exams safer and better.
This happened because some tests had problems, including a leaked paper in the medical exam called NEET.
A teacher test called TET also had a leaked question paper, so the exam had to be cancelled.
There were also complaints about exams in another state called Jharkhand.
The committee will be led by a senior officer named V. Radha.
The government also wants to build at least 25,000 safe classrooms where exams can be held.
Maharashtra will also bring in a stricter national law that punishes exam cheating more severely.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis constituted a high-level committee, chaired by Additional Chief Secretary V. Radha, to recommend comprehensive reforms to government recruitment examinations.
The committee will visit every revenue division of the state to consult students, educational institutions and other stakeholders before submitting its report.
Committee members include DGP Sadanand Date, IT Secretary Virendra Singh, Animal Husbandry Secretary N. Ramaswamy and Nashik Divisional Commissioner Praveen Gedam.
Fadnavis directed officials to implement the stricter Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Amendment Act, 2026, passed by Parliament last month, in Maharashtra within a fortnight, and to set up at least 25,000 secure classrooms.
The move follows the TET paper leak in Bhiwandi, protests over the NEET paper leak that led to Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan's resignation, and alleged irregularities in Jharkhand's JPSC and JSSC exams; Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde attended the meeting.
- Who
- Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, who announced the committee; Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, who attended the meeting; and Additional Chief Secretary V. Radha, who will chair the panel.
- What
- Formation of a high-level committee to recommend comprehensive reforms to Maharashtra's government recruitment examination system, along with directives to implement the central anti-paper-leak law and create at least 25,000 secure classrooms.
- When
- Wednesday, August 12, 2026, at a specially convened meeting.
- Where
- At the Chief Minister's official residence, Varsha, in Mumbai, Maharashtra.
- Why
- In response to the TET paper leak in Bhiwandi, protests over the NEET paper leak, and alleged irregularities in the JPSC and JSSC recruitment exams in Jharkhand.
- State
- Maharashtra
- Meeting venue
- Chief Minister's official residence, Varsha, Mumbai
- Committee chair
- V. Radha, Additional Chief Secretary, General Administration Department
- Committee members
- DGP Sadanand Date; IT Secretary Virendra Singh; Animal Husbandry Secretary N. Ramaswamy; Nashik Divisional Commissioner Praveen Gedam
- Secure classrooms
- At least 25,000 to be set up across Maharashtra
- Central law
- Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Amendment Act, 2026
- Implementation deadline
- Within a fortnight
- Context
- TET paper leak in Bhiwandi (exam cancelled); NEET paper leak protests, including at Jantar Mantar; alleged JPSC/JSSC irregularities in Jharkhand; the chief secretary was named Rajesh Kumar in one report and Rajesh Agrawal in another
Sources
Maharashtra to form high-level panel to overhaul recruitment exam system: Fadnavis
Maha govt forms panel to overhaul recruitment exam process
Maharashtra To Set Up High-Level Panel To Reform Recruitment Examination System: CM Devendra Fadnavis