Panel recommends raising MPSC Group C posts above 16,000, one-year age relaxation

A high-level committee formed to make recruitment examinations in Maharashtra more transparent, secure and trustworthy has submitted an interim report to the government. The committee was constituted under a Government Resolution of September 4, 2026.

The committee spoke to students and other stakeholders in different departments of the state and studied the demands, suggestions and opinions that emerged. Students had raised some important and urgent issues that needed to be decided first. For this reason the committee has submitted an interim report without waiting for the full report.

The biggest recommendation is to increase the number of posts. About 12 lakh candidates have applied for the Maharashtra Public Service Commission's Group C Services Combined Preliminary Examination 2026. Over 5,000 posts are currently advertised. Various departments have meanwhile sent the commission requisitions for more than 11,000 additional posts. The committee has said these additional posts should be added through a corrigendum, taking the total above 16,000.

Considering candidates' demands, the committee has recommended a one-time special relaxation in the maximum age limit for all recruitment examinations. The relaxation will be one year. It will apply to all advertisements issued after January 1, 2026 whose selection process has not yet begun. It will also apply to advertisements issued up to December 31, 2027.

With the addition of posts and the age relaxation in the Group C examination 2026, some more candidates will become eligible. To give them a chance, the committee has recommended reopening the application process.

The committee has made further recommendations on the commission's examination process. There should be no change in the current pattern and syllabus of the Group C preliminary examination. The syllabus of the main examination for the newly added cadres should be announced soon. As a precaution, the earlier work of preparing question papers should be cancelled and fresh papers should be prepared through a secure process.

Strict security has been sought in the printing, storage and transport of question papers and OMR answer sheets. The committee has also recommended police deployment, CCTV surveillance, signal jammers and trained staff at examination centres.