Its other members include former justice P.D. Naik, retired secretary Ganesh Patil and inspector general of police Lakhmi Gautam.
Bhimanwar announced his decision on X at around 1.24 am on Monday. He said ethical conduct had guided his public service and maintained that the commission’s autonomy, credibility and students’ interests remained his priorities.
The agitation began on 2 October, Rahul Gandhi Jayanti, with aspirants gathering near Pune’s S.M. Joshi Bridge. Their grievances extended beyond the latest alleged paper leak to repeated postponements, question-paper errors, changes in examination patterns, disputed vacancies and concerns over evaluation.
Demands included the chairman’s removal and greater transparency in recruitment. Aspirants also differed over examination formats, with some seeking descriptive papers and others favouring the objective system.
For many participants, uncertainty over recruitment carries a substantial financial cost. Pune attracts candidates from rural districts and smaller towns across Maharashtra, including Marathwada and Vidarbha, whose families often stretch limited incomes to pay for accommodation, food, coaching and study materials.
Vivekanand Maruti Patil, a 24-year-old farmer’s son from Radhanagari in Kolhapur district who emerged as a prominent voice in the movement, warned against turning recruitment into a marketplace accessible through money and influence.
Repeated delays can leave such candidates financing additional months or years of preparation, while narrowing their prospects of securing stable employment.
The scale of competition adds to the pressure. The 2026 Group C Combined Preliminary Examination attracted 10.86 lakh applications for 5,700 posts, while 44,500 candidates competed for 154 drug inspector vacancies. The 2025 State Services examination drew 1.75 lakh applicants for 385 posts.
For these aspirants, the inquiry’s significance will depend on whether it produces a recruitment process they can trust. The suspension of the protest marks a breakthrough, but the promised investigation and reforms remain to be completed.
With PTI inputs
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