Explained: Government removed CBSE Chairman and Secretary, ordered investigation into OSM tender, what has happened so far in this matter?

For the first time this year, CBSE got the 12th board copies checked through On-Screen Marking (OSM) system. When the results came, there was an uproar. Students made allegations of missing copies, reducing marks and rigging the system. Then one after another there were such revelations that everyone’s eyes were left wide eyed. The rules of the tender were changed thrice, the contract was given to a controversial company, the portal was hacked and a 17 year old student presented the entire letter in the Parliament. So let us know the journey till now in this case till scam, hacking and politics…

What is OSM and why was it started?

OSM i.e. On Screen Marking is a digital evaluation system. In this, the physical copy of the student is scanned, it is uploaded on the computer screen and then the teacher checks it on the screen itself. The software itself calculates the total. Boards like Cambridge, IB and Pearson are already using it. CBSE first tested it on a pilot basis, then implemented it on a full scale in the 2025-26 session.

According to the board, this system is student-centric and globally accepted. Its objectives were to reduce teacher fatigue and bias, to bring transparency and to bring results quickly.

So what went wrong and what are the allegations of the students?

CBSE released the 12th result on 13 May 2026. This time the passing percentage was 85.20%. But as soon as the results came, students started complaining. The charges were:

• The scanned copies were blurry, due to which the marks were cut off.
• Pages of the copy were missing or numbers were not found even though the answers were correct.
• The biggest complaint was that there was no match between the digital copy and the actual copy.
• In the old system, teachers used to give extra marks for efforts. In OSM, marks were given strictly according to the marking scheme only, hence the marks appeared less.
• OSM is strict, but students were at a disadvantage compared to the old system.

Tender controversy: Was the contract fixed in advance?

This is where the real fire started. Hyderabad-based company Coempt EduTeck got this contract on 5 December 2025. Student Sarthak Siddhant made shocking claims:

CBES changed the tender rules thrice to favor Koempt. Let us understand how:

What changes took place in the tender?

1. Blacklisting clause removed: There was a strict provision in the original tender of August 2025 that if the vendor made a mistake, it could be blacklisted. Later this clause was removed. CBSE said that Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) had requested to remove this condition.
2. Eligibility criteria changed: It is alleged that the terms and conditions of the tender were adapted to allow for the exemption of big companies like Reliance Jio and TCS.
3. Koempt undercuts TCS by 60%: TCS had bid Rs 951.3 crore, while Quompt won the contract for 60% less i.e. about Rs 380 crore.
4. Koempt was formerly known as ‘Globarena’: The biggest revelation was that the same company was earlier known as Globarena Technologies, which had committed a big scam in the Telangana Board examinations in 2019 and 2023. Now the same company changed its name and got the contract of CBSE.
5. Implemented in just 66 days: The company took the contract on December 5 and within just 66 days, OSM was implemented across the country for board exams from February 17. It is difficult to test the system properly in such a hurry.

‘Student reached Parliament’: What did Sarthak Siddhant reveal?

The turning point of this entire matter was the 17 years’ meaningful principle reaching Parliament. He himself was a victim of OSM. This was the first time that a student was called to present his views on any matter. She gave a 7-page presentation before the Parliament Standing Committee (Education, Women, Children, Youth and Sports), which was headed by Congress MP Digvijay Singh. 15 major flaws were counted. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi met him and assured him of full support.

Cyber ​​security ‘game’: How students shook the CBSE system?

While there were allegations of scam in the tender, a 19-year-old ethical hacker named Nisarg Adhikari exposed the OSM portal. Nisarg claimed that with just basic technical knowledge, he could bypass OTP verification, become an examiner and change the numbers of students.

The AWS bucket (cloud storage) associated with CBSE was not properly configured, allowing anyone on the internet to download the scanned copies. Data of many organizations was also stored in this bucket. Nisarg said, ‘It was a child’s play.’

After this hacking claim, when CBSE launched the ‘Re-evaluation Portal’, it got cyber attacked on the same day i.e. on 2 June 2026. According to CBSE, there were 15 lakh hits in 2 minutes and more than 1 lakh attempts were made to access system files without permission. This was a denial-of-service (DDoS) attack.

Opposition’s attack: ‘This is a fraud, remove the Education Minister’

The opposition (especially Congress) has opened a fierce front in this matter…

• Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge said that the transfer of CBSE Chairman-Secretary is just a fraud.
• Rahul Gandhi said, ‘The 17-year-old boy exposed how the entire system was sleeping.’ He demanded that Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan be immediately removed and an independent investigation be conducted.
• Congress leader Jairam Ramesh alleged that the vendors were protected by changing the terms of the tender.
• Kapil Sibal demanded that an investigation be conducted in this matter by CBI and Enforcement Directorate (ED). He said, ‘Blame the small fish, save the big fish.’
• Opposition parties allege that this is a ‘cover-up’ operation.

What has the government done till now?

The government finally took a big step:

• CBSE Chairman Rahul Singh and Secretary Himanshu Gupta were transferred.
• In his place, senior IAS Lokhande Prashant Sitaram was made the new chairman and Varun Bhardwaj was made the secretary.
• A one-member committee was formed to examine the tender and procurement process of OSM service.
• Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan also took responsibility and said, ‘I take responsibility for this… will not leave the complaint of any student unresolved.’
• The government said that strict punitive action will be taken against the culprits.

Students’ problems and re-evaluation portal

• After the result, students complained that payment was failing on the re-evaluation portal and there was a delay in verification.
• The board said that it will review all genuine complaints related to scanned copies or marking.
• Cyber ​​attack on this portal increased the problem.

What will happen next in this whole matter?

• The investigation committee will prepare its report. It remains to be seen whether the allegations are proved true or not.
• Action may be taken against Koempt Edutech company. The board has indicated that action can be taken against this vendor.
• The opposition’s pressure on Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan is increasing. In view of the upcoming elections, this can become a big headache for the government.
• The demand for a CBI investigation into the entire matter has intensified.

Is this a big scam like NEET?

CBSE OSM controversy is reminiscent of the NEET-UG paper leak case. Lakhs of students were affected there too. But there are two new twists in this case:

• Allegedly missing copies, giving less marks and rigging the system in the name of on-screen marking.
• Removing big companies from the tender and awarding the contract to a company which was already accused of scam.
• The government removed top officials and ordered an investigation, but the opposition and students are calling it an attempt to save the big fish.

Now it remains to be seen what the inquiry committee comes out and whether transparency can be restored in an educational institution like CBSE or not.

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