CBSE OSM Controversy 2026: The Centre on Tuesday ordered a probe into the procurement of the Central Board of Secondary Education's (CBSE) On-Screen Marking (OSM) services and transferred the board's Chairman Rahul Singh and Secretary Himanshu Gupta amid a controversy that has raised concerns over the evaluation process, cybersecurity safeguards and vendor selection.
The Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) announced a one-member inquiry committee headed by S Radha Chauhan, Chairperson of the Capacity Building Commission. The committee has been asked to submit its report within one month.
The decision follows weeks of controversy surrounding CBSE's digital evaluation system, which came under scrutiny after students reported discrepancies in scanned answer sheets, technical glitches on the portal and concerns over data security.
How The Controversy Unfolded: A Timeline
May 13, 2026: Class 12 Results Declared
CBSE declared the Class 12 board examination results on May 13. The overall pass percentage stood at 85.2%, lower than the 88.39% recorded in 2025. Following the declaration of results, a section of students began raising concerns over unexpectedly low scores and sought access to their evaluated answer sheets.
May 19, 2026: Answer Sheet Access Portal Opens
CBSE opened its portal for students seeking scanned copies of their answer sheets. According to the board, the platform received around 1.26 lakh applications within the first three hours of launch.
The portal subsequently faced technical disruptions. CBSE later said the platform was subjected to heavy traffic and cyberattack attempts, affecting its functioning.
May 23-24, 2026: Complaints Go Viral
The controversy intensified after students shared complaints on social media regarding the answer-sheet viewing process.
Several students alleged that scanned copies were blurred, some answers appeared unevaluated, and in certain cases, the answer sheets displayed on the portal allegedly belonged to other candidates. The complaints quickly gained traction online and drew wider public attention.
May 29, 2026: Vendor Penalised
CBSE acknowledged technical discrepancies and announced action against Hyderabad-based Coempt Edu Teck, the vendor responsible for the digital scanning and on-screen evaluation system.
The board imposed penalties on the company for technical lapses. The schedule for re-evaluation-related activities was also revised, with subsequent processes deferred to June 1.
June 2, 2026: Centre Orders Probe
Amid mounting criticism, cybersecurity concerns, questions over the tendering process and growing political attention, the Union Government ordered an inquiry into the procurement of the OSM system.
The government simultaneously transferred CBSE Chairman Rahul Singh and Secretary Himanshu Gupta and constituted a one-member committee to examine the matter.
CBSE Re-Evaluation: Students Have Until June 6 Midnight To Submit Requests
In response to concerns surrounding the OnMark portal operated by its service provider, CBSE launched a dedicated platform to facilitate access to answer sheets and related services.
The board said it had deployed cybersecurity experts from multiple government agencies and the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) to strengthen the platform's security infrastructure.
CBSE has stated that the re-evaluation portal will remain accessible to students until midnight on June 6, 2026.
