Maharashtra suspends SRPF exam after 85% questions allegedly match private test set

The Additional Director General of Police, Training and Special Units, Maharashtra State, Mumbai, issued a press release on Tuesday acknowledging the complaints. “A written examination for the recruitment of State Reserve Police Force (SRPF) Constables, Group No. 5, Daund, for the (advertisement) year 2024-25, was conducted on May 2, 2026. Complaints have been received through media channels alleging that, out of the 100 questions in the question paper, 85 questions were sourced directly from ‘Maharashtra Publication’s Police Recruitment Practice Question Set 10,’” the release stated.

“In light of this, a thorough inquiry into this matter has been initiated, effective from May 4, under the supervision of the Deputy Inspector General of Police, State Reserve Police Force, Pune. The recruitment process being conducted by the Commandant, SRPF, Group No. 5, Daund, has been suspended until further orders. Appropriate further action will be taken immediately upon receipt of the inquiry report,” it added.

Officials promise action

Vijaykumar Magar, Deputy Inspector General of Police, SRPF, confirmed the suspension of the recruitment process and said that a final inquiry report is expected soon.

“The matter is under investigation, and a final report is expected in around 2 to 4 days. Around 3,500 students appeared for the exam on May 2, and after inconsistencies were brought to notice about 85 questions being from a private publication, ‘Maharashtra Publication’s question practice set’ by Vitthal Bade, the exam was put on hold on Tuesday till further notice. The exam process is expected to continue soon after the issuance of the final report,” Magar told the Indian Express.

Publication author denies nexus

Vitthal Bade, the author and owner of Maharashtra Publication, distanced himself from the controversy, calling any overlap a coincidence.

“We had issued a 20-question paper set – 10 online and others in the hard copy (print) format – on March 16. It was a normal routine for mock tests, and most of them usually are previous year questions from the official exams conducted. SRPF administration might have taken these questions from our test set in a dearth of time, maybe, and it can be a coincidence, as we have no connections with any officials and will go ahead with the inquiry,” Bade said.

‘Need transparent inquiry’

Student groups have demanded a thorough and transparent investigation, expressing serious concern over the impact such irregularities have on aspirants, especially those from rural Maharashtra.

Student leader Nitin Andhale said the gravity of the alleged irregularity goes beyond a routine error. “Aspirants, particularly from rural Maharashtra, aspire to join government services, especially in police service, and such gross negligence hampers the candidates’ trust in the exam-conducting agency and the overall process. They put in years of hard work, and such cases affect their morale,” Andhale said.

He further pointed to the specific nature of the alleged copying as evidence that this may not have been accidental. “The issue is very serious as even the questions’ serial number and answer options in the official MCQ paper were taken as they are from the private publication’s practice set. So the inquiry must be done transparently and check whether there is any nexus between government officials and private institutions, and those guilty must face strict action so no such cases repeat ever after,” Andhale added.