The Maharashtra State Land Records Department's Talathi pre-recruitment exam has been embroiled in controversy after allegations of a paper leak and concerns over unusually high marks awarded to some candidates.
The paper leak was reported from nearly 48 centers across Maharashtra, prompting police investigations in some cities, like Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar.
The exam was held for 4,446 Talathi posts in total and the department conducted the exam in three sections and three sessions daily over three phases: August 17-22, August 26-September 2, and September 4-14. A total of 57 exam sessions were held.
Candidates were given eight days, from September 28 to October 8, to raise objections about the question paper, resulting in 16,205 objections against 2,831 questions.
Now, with the results declared, some candidates have received marks exceeding 200 in the 200-mark exam. This has fueled suspicions of irregularities in the evaluation process, particularly given reports of low scores for the same candidates in other departmental exams.
Mahesh Gharbude, an examinee and working president of the Competitive Exams Coordination Committee, said, "While there might be adjustments in marks during normalization, how can someone scoring low in other departmental exams score so high in this one?" He added that they have filed a petition in the Mumbai High Court seeking an SIT probe and are waiting for the state government's response.
Candidates have taken to social media platforms like X (formerly Twitter) to voice their concerns, tagging Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and demanding a re-exam. The Competitive Exams Coordination Committee has also posted on its official X handle, claiming to have received phone calls from the ministry after the paper leak.
The high scores and alleged irregularities have led to accusations of widespread corruption in the exam process. Candidates are demanding that the exam be declared null and void and re-conducted through the Maharashtra Public Service Commission (MPSC).