Rahul Gandhi, Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, intensified the debate over the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) evaluation system through a post on X, alleging widespread irregularities in the board’s result process and calling for an independent probe into the company associated with the newly introduced On-Screen Marking (OSM) system.
Launching a sharp attack on the Centre, Gandhi also questioned Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s silence over concerns raised by students and parents. “And Mr. Modi? As always, no answers, no accountability, no shame,” Gandhi wrote while referring to complaints surrounding CBSE’s evaluation and re-evaluation procedures.
The Congress leader questioned the transparency and accountability in the awarding of contracts linked to the digital marking system and called for an independent judicial inquiry as well as an SIT probe into the issue.
Addressing students directly, Rahul Gandhi referred to Gen Z as “comrades” and said their hard work and future should not be undermined. He assured students that their efforts would not be taken away and vowed to continue raising the issue.
“CBSE’s Gen Z comrades, no one will be able to steal your hard work or your future,” he wrote on X.
COEMPT, CBSE and Several Unanswered Questions
The Congress leader also expressed concerns over COEMPT, a company allegedly linked to the OSM mechanism. Gandhi claimed that the firm had earlier operated under a different name and was involved in a controversy in Telangana in 2019.
He questioned why a company with such a background was entrusted with responsibilities related to CBSE’s evaluation process.
Rahul Gandhi also raised several questions regarding the awarding of the contract, asking whether due procedures were followed and if proper background checks were carried out before assigning duties linked to the evaluation system.
The questions raised included:
The questions raised included why the contract was awarded to the company and who authorized it, whether procurement norms or procedures were bypassed, if proper due diligence was conducted despite past controversies; and whether the company’s management had any links with the government.
Rahul Gandhi called for an independent judicial inquiry and an SIT probe to investigate the matter and fix accountability if any irregularities are found.
The remarks come amid growing scrutiny of the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE)’s post-result procedures. Several students have alleged discrepancies in scanned answer sheets, including handwriting mismatches, missing pages, and delays in accessing evaluated copies.
During a press conference, the board said that over 13,000 answer sheets out of nearly 9.8 million evaluated copies were manually reviewed after discrepancies were reported.
CBSE later stated on the evening of May 26 that it had received more than 4 lakh applications for scanned Class 12 answer sheets, suggesting that nearly one in four students who appeared for the board examinations sought to review their evaluated copies.
Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has defended its evaluation systems in recent days, dismissing allegations of security lapses and asserting that adequate safeguards exist within the OSM and assessment mechanisms.
The OSM system was introduced by CBSE this year as part of its push to digitise answer sheet evaluation and enhance transparency. However, the mechanism has come under increasing scrutiny following complaints raised during the re-evaluation process.