The 438 candidates who qualified for interviews after clearing the Maharashtra Public Service Commission’s (MPSC) State Service 2025 main examination have opposed the postponement of their interviews and demanded that the commission announce a revised schedule at the earliest.
A blanket rechecking exercise could take considerable time. “A practical solution would be to invite rechecking applications only from candidates who have a specific objection to their marks or where a discrepancy is suspected, and recheck only those answer sheets. “We have no objection to the commission conducting a suo motu and parallel verification wherever it finds an extreme anomaly in marks.
The interviews were scheduled to begin on September 21 but were postponed amid demands from a section of candidates for re-evaluation of answer sheets. MPSC’s General Instructions Rule 6.4.3 provides for retotalling of marks, not rechecking of answer sheets, according to the candidates. “As per MPSC General Instructions Rule 6.4.3, retotalling is permitted, not rechecking. It is also unfair to seek such a process without taking the 438 candidates who have qualified for interviews into confidence,” said Swapnil, a representative of the interview-qualified candidates, whose surname was withheld on request.
The interview-qualified candidates said the decision had created uncertainty for those awaiting the final stage of the recruitment process. They said a blanket rechecking exercise could take considerable time and further delay recruitment. If, after rechecking, any candidate crosses the category-wise cut-off, they could be given an additional opportunity to appear for the interview as a special case,” he said. The candidates said such a mechanism would allow the commission to address genuine discrepancies without holding up interviews for those who have already qualified. The candidates said they met chief minister Devendra Fadnavis last week and conveyed their willingness to support a fact-based examination of cases involving genuine and extreme anomalies in marks, provided it did not halt the recruitment process. However, the interviews of candidates who have already qualified should not be stopped,” the candidates said. The candidates said the recruitment process should not be held up based on social media screenshots, rumours or unverified claims.
