“Pradeep Kumar Joshi’s appointment as MPPSC (Madhya Pradesh Public Service Commission) chairman in 2006 came after a recommendation from the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS),” activist Ajay Dubey alleged, based on findings under the Right to Information (RTI) Act 2005. "There were huge irregularities in the recruitment of professors in 2009, during Joshi’s tenure."
Joshi – who's the chairperson of the National Testing Agency (NTA) – is still at the helm of the body currently under severe public scrutiny in the light of several entrance exams being cancelled, postponed or re-conducted.
Amid the ongoing row over the NEET-UG medical entrance exam, which has now reached Parliament, NTA’s Director General (DG) Subodh Kumar Singh was removed from his post on 22 June and put on compulsory wait in the Department of Personnel and Training. Kumar reported to Joshi, NTA’s chairperson and the highest post in the organisation. While the DG is responsible for day-to-day functioning, it is the chairperson who takes decisions. So far, Joshi is continuing in his position.
While Joshi served as the chairperson of the State Public Service Commissions in Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh before he assumed the charge of UPSC in August 2020 and NTA on 14 August 2023, his appointment and tenure in MPPSC has been a subject of great scrutiny among transparency activists.
What are these alleged links? The Quint speaks to RTI activists and petitioners in the case. The Quint also reached out to Pradeep Joshi via email and will update the story once he responds.