A high-level committee has recommended increasing the number of vacancies for the Maharashtra Public Service Commission’s (MPSC) Group-C Combined Preliminary Examination 2026 to more than 16,000, along with a one-time relaxation of one year in the upper age limit for recruitment examinations.
The committee, headed by IAS officer V Radha, submitted its interim report to the Maharashtra government, recommending measures to improve transparency, security and reliability in the recruitment process, an official statement said on Thursday.
Group-C vacancies may rise to over 16,000
Around 12 lakh candidates have applied for the Group-C examination 2026, for which more than 5,000 vacancies have already been advertised.
Various government departments have submitted requisitions to the MPSC for over 11,000 additional posts. The committee has recommended including these vacancies in the recruitment process, taking the total number of posts to more than 16,000.
The recommendations come amid allegations of irregularities and malpractices in MPSC examinations and protests by aspirants.
One-time age relaxation proposed
The committee has recommended a one-time relaxation of one year in the upper age limit for all recruitment examinations as a special measure.
The proposed relaxation would apply to advertisements issued after January 1, 2026, for which the selection process has not begun, and up to December 31, 2027.
The committee has also recommended reopening the application process once for the Group-C examination. This would allow candidates who become eligible because of the additional vacancies and the proposed age relaxation to apply.
Existing Group-C preliminary exam pattern to continue
The committee has suggested retaining the existing examination pattern and syllabus for the Group-C preliminary examination.
It has also recommended that the syllabus for the main examinations of newly included cadres be announced at the earliest, according to the official statement.
The recommendations are intended to address concerns among candidates and ensure that the recruitment process remains consistent while additional posts are included.
Fresh question papers proposed as precaution
The committee has recommended scrapping the existing question paper-setting exercise and preparing fresh papers through a secure process as a precautionary measure.
The proposal comes amid concerns over alleged irregularities in recruitment examinations conducted by the MPSC.
The panel has also called for stringent security arrangements during the printing, storage and transportation of question papers and answer sheets.
Police, CCTV and signal jammers recommended
The committee has proposed several security measures at examination venues, including police deployment, CCTV surveillance and the use of signal jammers.
It has also recommended stronger safeguards for handling examination material at different stages, from printing to transportation and storage.
The committee was constituted on September 4, 2026, following allegations of irregularities and protests by MPSC aspirants.
