Mumbai, Sept. 16 -- In a clear climbdown following protests by Maharashtra Public Service Commission (MPSC) aspirants and students, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Tuesday ruled out any immediate shift of recruitment exams conducted by the MPSC from the existing offline, optical mark recognition-based system to computer-based tests (CBTs). Fadnavis said the government had no plans to introduce online examinations and asserted that even if such a proposal was considered in future, no decision would be taken without consulting students and aspirants. "There is currently no plan to conduct the MPSC examinations online. We have already postponed the earlier decision to hold the examinations online, and we will continue to conduct them under the existing system," the chief minister told reporters. Fadnavis also insisted that the MPSC chairperson Vivek Bhimanwar's statement on the issue had been misconstrued. "Whatever the MPSC chairperson said was distorted. Nowhere did he state that the examinations are switching online," he said. "There is no confusion on this front. The MPSC examinations will not be conducted online." Fadnavis' assertion regarding the continuation of offline exams came nearly three months after Bhimanwar announced that all competitive examinations for Group A, Group B and Group C cadres would be conducted via CBTs from 2027. The announcement triggered strong opposition from aspirants, who questioned the preparedness of the state's digital examination infrastructure and demanded that the existing OMR-based system be retained. The commission subsequently deferred the decision to shift to online examinations until July 2027. It also postponed its decision to conduct the Maharashtra Group-C Services Combined Preliminary Examination-2026, scheduled for September 27, under the CBT mode. Under the deferred online-examination policy, the Maharashtra Civil Services Gazetted Group A and Group B combined prelims, Maharashtra Group B (non-gazetted) services prelims and Maharashtra Group C Services prelims were proposed to be conducted twice or more frequently each year. Candidates would take the examinations directly on computers instead of manually filling OMR sheets. The MPSC had argued that the CBT system would speed up result processing and help ensure that examinations were conducted on schedule. MPSC aspirants, however, opposed the proposal, citing inadequate digital infrastructure and a shortage of capable and reliable examination centres, especially in rural areas. They also apprehended that technical glitches, connectivity failures or malpractices at private examination centres could jeopardise their candidature. In recent weeks, the MPSC has faced repeated allegations regarding paper leaks and irregularities in its examinations. Aspirants have staged protests in different parts of the state, demanding greater transparency in the recruitment process, action against those responsible for alleged paper leaks and a probe into irregularities reported in various exams. On September 10, Fadnavis ordered a Special Investigation Team (SIT) probe into alleged malpractices in MPSC examinations. He also announced that a committee headed by senior IAS officer V Radha would recommend comprehensive reforms in the examination system....