Pune: Increasing the total number of vacancies in Group C services to more than 16,000, reopening the application process for Group C exams and granting a one-year relaxation in the maximum age limit as a one-time special measure are among the key recommendations made by the seven-member high-level committee headed by additional chief secretary V Radha in its interim report submitted to the state govt.The panel said some issues raised by students required urgent consideration, prompting it to submit its recommendations without waiting for its final report.The committee was constituted on Sept 4 to study the state-wide recruitment process and consult stakeholders to make recruitment exams more transparent, secure and reliable after a paper-leak scandal rocked the Maharashtra Public Service Commission’s reputation, followed by protests by aspirants across the state, especially in Pune, demanding a systemic overhaul.Approximately 12 lakh candidates had applied for the Group-C Service Combined Preliminary Examination 2026 for over 5,000 posts. But the panel reasoned that since various departments had sent demands for more than 11,000 additional posts to the Maharashtra Public Service Commission, it was recommended to include these additional posts through corrigenda and thereby increase the total number of posts to more than 16,000.The one-year age relaxation, as per the panel, will apply to all advertisements published after Jan 1, 2026, and where the selection process has not yet started, as well as to advertisements published up to Dec 31, 2027.The panel recommended no change in the existing examination pattern and syllabus of Group-C preliminary examination but called for the cancellation of the previous question paper creation process and creation of a new question paper through a secure process.Stating that the main exam syllabus for the newly admitted cadre will be announced soon, the panel emphasised maintaining strict security arrangements for printing, storage and transportation of answer sheets and arrangements for police security, CCTV surveillance, signal jammers and trained manpower at exam centres.Calling it a victory of student unity, NCP (SP) MLA Rohit Pawar, who supported and participated in the 11-day protest by MPSC aspirants in Pune in the Sept-Oct period, thanked the chief minister for keeping his word and shared his expectation that other demands put forth by the students will also be fulfilled. His post on X said that the recommendation to increase the Group C posts to 16,000 will benefit students across the state.While most student groups have welcomed the recommendations, small groups have criticised the age relaxation criteria as they believe it will not benefit candidates who had already crossed the prescribed age limit under earlier recruitment advertisements. They said delays in the publication of advertisements had prompted demands for age relaxation, but these demands were not accepted at the time, leaving several aspirants overage. According to aspirants, preliminary exams for some examination advertisements published after Jan 1, 2026, have already been conducted, leaving no exam except Group C for which the proposed relaxation could effectively be used.Another aspirant, however, said that the age relaxation cannot be indefinite and hence the new recommendations made sense especially for those aspiring for Group C posts. “But the MPSC needs to declare the syllabus for technical posts soon, and also students need clarity on whether the Group C exam will be held on Jan 3 or not considering the recommendations to reopen the registration process. Most students hail from poor backgrounds, and they need to plan their finances on whether to stay in Pune or other cities or return to their villages, depending upon the Group C exam date,” said Mahesh Gharbude, president of Competitive Examination Students’ Association.
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