Mahajyoti exam at a Pune centre cancelled due to mismanagement

While students across Maharashtra are already protesting against paper leaks and problems in competitive exams, including the MPSC exam, students appearing for the Mahajyoti scholarship examination at a Pune centre on Wednesday could not answer their exam due to "technical issues", leaving the students enraged. 

Rutuja Mhaske, a resident of Solapur who is studying in Pune told Indie Journal that the incident took place at Sunbright English Medium School Centre in Ambegaon, which was one of the centres for the examination.

“Our exam was scheduled to be held from 9 am to 11 am, and the gate was going to close at around 8:45 am. All the students had reached the centre of time and were waiting outside the exam hall. Some students had entered the hall. Around fifteen minutes passed, but still no one had come to check and let us in. I went and asked the supervisor, ‘Why are you not letting us enter the hall for our exam?’ But she told us that there were no computers left for us. There were 37 students outside. Is it not the centre’s responsibility to make sure every student gets to appear for the exam and that there are enough computers for everyone?" Mhaske questioned.

😎😎😎महाज्योती अध्यक्षांचा राजीनामा आणि महाज्योती परीक्षा सरसकट रद्द करण्यासाठी विद्यार्थी आक्रमक अजब तुझे सरकार देवेंद्रा 🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻 #MPSC_विद्यार्थी_सत्याग्रह #MPSC #Pune #आंदोलन #Mahajyoti https://t.co/GfcJYtx2wM

— 🔥 MPSC आंदोलन 🔥 (@sanketikta) October 7, 2026

While they did not assign any computer to several students, in some cases, the computers allotted to students were also not working properly. Due to this confusion, several students could not appear for the examination and had to face stress and frustration.

“We asked the supervisor to let us talk to the head of the centre or whoever was in charge. But there was no response and no one was ready to communicate. There were also 40 students inside the hall who were not allotted any computers. Apart from that, those who got computers were also facing technical glitches and some computers were not even working. They kept giving us reasons that it was not their fault but a system glitch. After an hour, a supervisor came outside and told us that one student had finished her exam, so one of us could take her seat and appear for the exam. What kind of exam is this? Nobody took any responsibility. We just kept waiting,” she added.

Priti Darade, a resident of Nandurbar who is studying in Pune, said, “I was allotted the second shift for the exam, from 12 pm to 2 pm. When I reached the centre, I saw that students from the first shift were facing problems and some of them could not even answer the exam. Everyone was waiting outside. As the first-shift students had not finished their exams, it was not possible for the second-shift students to appear for the exam. Afterward, we came here to join the MPSC protest so that we could put forward the problems we faced to the media.”

The students also said that the supervisors did not seem to be taking the issue seriously. Lavanya Pagare, a resident of Dhule who is studying in Pune, said, “The supervisors present there gave us a solution, saying, ‘You will complete your exams in 15 minutes so that we can let more students appear for the exam once you finish it. So that 8 to 10 students can give an exam on one computer and your batch will complete the exam.’ How can a person complete a 2 hour exam in 15 minutes? They were simply letting students copy answers. We saw students discussing with each other, grouping together and then solving the questions. Even the parents were allowed inside the gate by the supervisors. Parents are not allowed beyond the gate.”

Darade said, “We have been studying for this scholarship exam for the last two months. Things such as travelling, the centre, and fees for auto or bus are planned one month prior to the exam. And then we get to know that the exam has been cancelled. Our family sends us a fixed amount of money every month. How are we supposed to manage our finances? Our money gets wasted due to such issues. Even Rs 200 is so valuable that we can attend one day of lectures with it.”

The students from different parts of Maharashtra who come to Pune for studying have often voiced the financial stress of living in the city on a low income. When exams get cancelled or postponed, many say that they find it difficult to cope.

“My roommate has compromised on her dinner so many times so that she can save money and afford to take mock exam papers and pay the exam fees. Already, our family suggests and sometimes forces us to get married. They also suggested that we should find some other job, but we wanted to be officers. Despite all that pressure, we study and appear for exams. And then when exams get cancelled, what and how should we tell this to our parents?” Pagare said.

महाज्योती परीक्षा रद्द! महाज्योती परीक्षा गोंधळ परीक्षेस कॉम्पुटर उपलब्ध नाही. परीक्षा वेळेत विद्यार्थिनींना परीक्षा केंद्राच्या बाहेर उभे केले. परीक्षा गोंधळ भाजप महायुती सरकारमध्ये कधी थांबणार? #महाज्योती #Exam https://t.co/SduZwvqNVN

— Gautam Waghmare (@GautamW42104954) October 7, 2026

Mhaske said that the authorities at the Centre where this mismanagement happened were not ready to take responsibility for the chaos. “Even when we contacted the trustee, he told us that it was the centre’s responsibility to conduct mock tests. But the supervisors present at the centre were not ready to take any blame or responsibility. They have normalised such exam problems, and only we students are suffering. I personally paid Rs 200 to reach the centre by auto so that I would not get late. I have been studying for the last four years, but this is what I am getting in return for my hard work and struggle.”

Similar incident took place at the Marathwada Online Exam Centre in Nanded as well. The Mahajyoti website has declared that the examinations at both these centres in Pune and Nanded have been cancelled. It has shared the re-examination timetable and the names of the new centres where the exam will now be held through a notice.

"Even if Mahajyoti has declared that today’s exam has been cancelled, there is no clarification about tomorrow’s and the day after tomorrow’s exams. We have been allocated the same centre for the upcoming exams. What if we face the same problems tomorrow? Is Mahajyoti going to do the same again? There is no clarification,” Darade said.

After contacting the Mahajyoti office, an employee who answered the call told the Indie Journal, “We are issuing an official circular through our website.” When asked about the exams scheduled for tomorrow and the day after tomorrow at the same centre, she said that they would soon issue an official circular regarding the exams. When asked about the mock test, the employee did not give any satisfactory answers.