India news Live Updates, 17 August 2026: CJP’s Dipke demands action as students protest alleged High Court clerk exam paper leak in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar

On August 16, 2026, several candidates who took the Bombay High Court clerk typing test staged a protest in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar after alleging technical problems during the online examination. Convenor of the CJP, Abhijeet Dipke, joined the demonstration, claiming that numerous candidates were unfairly marked as failed despite no fault of their own.

Dipke demanded that the test be conducted once more, stating that the authorities had failed to ensure proper functioning of computers and servers. Around 2,900 candidates from Marathwada and Vidarbha appeared at various centers in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, while 13,000 candidates across Maharashtra were eligible for the exam conducted in three sessions for 1,300 posts under the High Court's Nagpur and Aurangabad benches.

The problematic session occurred between 10 a.m. and 11:15 a.m. Dipke visited the Surananagar area examination center and met the affected candidates, saying they had traveled from multiple cities in Maharashtra for the test, which they prepared for six to seven months. He criticized the authorities for dismissing complaints and told candidates they lacked knowledge of taking an examination.