Mandeep Bhandari, Principal Secretary To J&K Lt Governor, Is New CBSE Chief

The Centre has appointed Mandeep K Bhandari as the chairperson of the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) under the Ministry of Education, replacing interim chief Lokhande Prashant Sitaram, who was holding additional charge of the post.

Bhandari was serving as Principal Secretary to the Lieutenant Governor of Jammu and Kashmir before he was appointed as the CBSE chairperson.

The appointment comes months after a significant controversy that affected CBSE earlier in 2026. Bhandari is the third CBSE chief in four months after the On-Screen Marking (OSM) controversy, which caused a nationwide stir.

The board's first full-scale introduction of the OSM system for evaluating Class 12 answer sheets led to widespread complaints from students and parents. Concerns included alleged mismatches in scanned answer sheets, blurred or missing pages, technical problems on the portals, and difficulties during the verification and re-evaluation processes.

The episode resulted in leadership changes at the board and an official inquiry into the digital evaluation system, with then-CBSE-chief being transferred to the agriculture ministry.

Who Is Mandeep K Bhandari?

A 2001-batch officer of the AGMUT cadre, Bhandari brings more than two decades of administrative experience. He is a gold medalist MBBS graduate from Dayanand Medical College, Ludhiana. His postings have included Deputy Commissioner of Leh, Deputy Commissioner of Jammu, Divisional Commissioner of Jammu, and CEO of the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board.

Bhandari has also handled the health and medical education portfolio in Jammu and Kashmir and earlier served as Private Secretary to the Union Human Resource Development Minister and as Joint Secretary in the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

Bhandari assumes office as CBSE continues efforts to strengthen its examination and evaluation mechanisms and rebuild trust among students, parents, and schools. His experience in administration and public service is expected to support the board in addressing these challenges and ensuring smooth functioning of one of India's largest school examination systems.