Bombay HC cancels clerk typing test after tech failures, protests
Synopsis
Thousands of clerk recruitment aspirants got a second chance after the Bombay High Court cancelled its 16 August typing test, citing server crashes, frozen screens, and mass log-outs that made fair evaluation impossible. The cancellation followed overnight protests at centres across Maharashtra and direct political intervention by NCP (SP) MLA Rohit Pawar.
Key Takeaways
The Bombay High Court officially cancelled the Clerk Typing Test held on 16 August 2026 via a notice dated 29 August 2026 .
Technical failures included server crashes, frozen screens, faulty keyboards, and automatic log-outs at centres in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar , Kalyan , Nanded , Washim , and Bhandara .
More than 600 candidates staged a sit-in protest at the APMC Market centre in Kalyan ; police were deployed statewide.
NCP (SP) MLA Rohit Pawar personally met court officials and the Advocate General of Maharashtra to demand a re-test.
The recruitment covers clerk posts at the court’s principal seat and benches in Nagpur and Aurangabad , advertised on 8 December 2025 .
A fresh re-examination schedule will be notified on the court’s official portal; candidates are advised to monitor it.
The High Court of Judicature at Bombay on 29 August 2026 cancelled the Clerk Typing Test held on 16 August 2026, citing the need to uphold the “highest standards of fairness in the selection process.” The decision, formalised in an official notice signed by the Registrar (Personnel), came after widespread technical disruptions at examination centres across Maharashtra triggered protests and political pressure. A fresh date, venue, and re-examination details will be announced separately on the court’s official portal.
What Went Wrong on Exam Day
Thousands of candidates who appeared for the skill test — a critical stage in the recruitment drive launched under the advertisement dated 8 December 2025 to fill clerk posts at the court’s principal seat and its benches in Nagpur and Aurangabad — reported severe technical failures shortly after the exam began. Centres in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Kalyan, Nanded, Washim, and Bhandara were among the worst affected.
Candidates described server crashes, non-responsive keyboards, faulty mice, frozen display screens, and automatic log-outs within minutes of starting. The software’s inability to evaluate typed passages raised serious concerns about fair grading, according to affected applicants.
Protests Erupt Across Centres
The technical chaos triggered late-night sit-in protests at multiple centres statewide. In Kalyan, more than 600 candidates staged demonstrations at the APMC Market examination centre. In Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, protesters blocked vehicles and demanded immediate cancellation and a re-test. Police were deployed to maintain order as political leaders and student organisations joined the agitation.
Political Intervention and Court Review
Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar) MLA Rohit Pawar publicly criticised the technical mismanagement, stating that the contracted agency experienced complete software and server failures that caused thousands of candidates to log out prematurely or miss the exam entirely. Pawar personally visited the Bombay High Court to meet administrative officials and the Advocate General of Maharashtra, submitted a formal grievance, and pushed for immediate legal relief.
Following the public and political outcry, the High Court administration issued a preliminary note acknowledging the disruptions and announced that the matter was being examined. Reports submitted by the conducting agency itself acknowledged the scale of the failures, prompting the formal review that led to Saturday’s cancellation order.
Relief for Aspirants, Re-Test Awaited
The formal invalidation of the 16 August test has provided relief to the thousands of aspirants who feared their performance would be assessed on flawed data. Candidates have been advised to monitor the court’s official website for re-test notifications. Notably, this episode raises broader questions about the readiness of agencies contracted to conduct large-scale computer-based recruitment tests, where infrastructure failures can derail the careers of lakhs of job-seekers in a single session.
Point of View
But the episode exposes a systemic gap in how courts and public bodies vet technology vendors for high-stakes recruitment. Thousands of aspirants lost a preparation cycle not because they underperformed, but because a contracted agency could not keep servers running for a single exam session. The political pressure from Rohit Pawar was a catalyst, but it should not have taken an MLA’s personal visit to trigger an obvious administrative correction. As government recruitment increasingly shifts to computer-based testing, the absence of mandatory infrastructure audits and real-time contingency protocols is a liability that will keep producing these disruptions.
NationPress
30 Aug 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Why did the Bombay High Court cancel the clerk typing test?
The Bombay High Court cancelled the 16 August 2026 clerk typing test because of widespread technical failures — including server crashes, non-responsive keyboards, frozen screens, and automatic log-outs — that made fair evaluation impossible. The court cited the need to uphold the ‘highest standards of fairness in the selection process.’
Which examination centres were affected by the technical glitches?
Candidates at centres in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Kalyan, Nanded, Washim, and Bhandara reported the most severe disruptions. In Kalyan alone, over 600 candidates staged a sit-in protest at the APMC Market centre.
When will the Bombay High Court clerk re-test be held?
The court has not yet announced a fresh date. A new schedule, venue, and further details will be notified separately on the Bombay High Court’s official portal; candidates are advised to monitor it regularly.
What role did NCP (SP) MLA Rohit Pawar play in the cancellation?
Rohit Pawar criticised the technical mismanagement publicly, personally visited the Bombay High Court to meet administrative officials and the Advocate General of Maharashtra, and formally submitted grievances demanding a re-test. His intervention, alongside student protests, accelerated the administration’s review.
Which posts are covered under this recruitment and what was the original advertisement date?
The recruitment is for clerk posts at the Bombay High Court’s principal seat in Mumbai and its benches in Nagpur and Aurangabad, under an advertisement issued on 8 December 2025. The typing test was a crucial qualifying stage in that process.
