Several aspirants who appeared for the Bombay High Court clerk recruitment typing test launched a protest in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar on Sunday (August 16, 2026), joined by CJP convenor Abhijeet Dipke, alleging technical failures and server glitches during the online examination.
Mr. Dipke alleged that several candidates were declared failed without their fault and joined the demonstration demanding that the test be conducted afresh.
A communication issued by the Bombay High Court registrar (personnel) stated the typing examination was conducted smoothly for the post of clerk (through the agency), though a few technical issues were reported at certain examination centres, particularly at Aurangabad and Kalyan.
The technical issues, if any, in regard to the said process conducted at the hands of the Agency are being examined, and the candidates shall be duly informed by official communication about further appropriate course of action, it said.
Candidates complained that computers failed to function, with some saying their screens turned yellow and keyboards stopped working. Fearing that they would miss the examination, the candidates demanded that the test be conducted afresh.
Around 2,900 candidates from Marathwada and Vidarbha appeared for the examination at various centres in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, while around 13,000 candidates across Maharashtra were eligible for the test conducted in three sessions for 1,300 posts under the High Court’s Nagpur and Aurangabad benches.
The alleged disruption occurred between the 10 a.m. and 11:15 a.m. session.
Mr. Dipke visited the examination centre in the Surananagar area in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar after learning about the alleged disruption and met the affected candidates.
He said aspirants had travelled from Beed, Ambajogai, Amravati, Latur and other parts of Maharashtra to appear for the examination.
“When the students sat for the examination, they found that some computers were not working properly. In some cases, the mouse and keyboards were not functioning, while in others the screens were not working. Within 10 minutes, the aspirants were logged out,” he told reporters and claimed it was the failure of the system and the government, and not of job seekers.
He alleged that authorities dismissed complaints and told candidates that they didn’t know how to take an examination.
“If the authorities are so intelligent, why did they not install proper computers and functioning keyboards beforehand? Why did they not ensure that the servers were working properly?” Mr. Dipke asked.
He said several candidates had travelled long distances and had been preparing for the examination for six to seven months.
“Where will they go now? What will they tell their parents? Will they go home with a failure certificate and say that they failed because the server was not working?” Mr. Dipke asked.
He demanded that the authorities immediately issue a written notification announcing a re-examination.
“The examination must be conducted again, and it should not be held on the same computers. This should not happen again because the future of these aspirants is at stake,” he said.
The Cockroach Janta Party founder demanded that the district court judge, who he said was present inside the examination centre, come out, speak to candidates, and provide them a written assurance about a re-test.
“Until the demands of these candidates are fulfilled, I will remain here with them. If they have decided to sit in protest, I will support them,” he said.
He also criticised the conduct of online examinations, saying authorities should not hold such tests if they were unable to ensure functioning computers and servers.
“If you are not capable of conducting online examinations, why are you conducting them and ruining the future of students?” Mr. Dipke questioned.
He alleged that the incident reflected the broader problem of inadequate infrastructure in educational institutions and said he had earlier raised similar concerns regarding school infrastructure.
Mr. Dipke said the candidates should not be blamed for a technical failure.
Published – August 17, 2026 07:43 am IST
