The Union government cracked the whip on Tuesday and transferred CBSE Chairman Rahul Singh and Secretary Himanshu Singh amid the controversy over the evaluation of Class 12 examination papers, selection of vendors and OSM fiasco. Besides the shakeup at the top, the government has also ordered an inquiry into the procurement of On-Screen Marking (OSM) services, signalling a tough stance on alleged irregularities.&nbsp;The transfers at the top are being seen as big administrative actions after the controversy erupted.&nbsp;The government has constituted a one-member inquiry committee headed by S. Radha Chauhan, Chairperson of the Capacity Building Commission, to examine the procurement process. The panel chairperson can seek assistance from officers of government departments, while the Capacity Building Commission will provide secretarial support.&nbsp;The committee has been asked to submit its report to the Department of Personnel and Training within one month.&nbsp;The government action comes after weeks of scrutiny over CBSE’s evaluation and post-result processes, which sparked concerns among students, parents and teachers across the country.&nbsp;&nbsp;

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Lokhande Prashant Sitaram has been appointed as Chairperson, Central Board of Secondary Education, Ministry of Education. Rahul Singh has been appointed as Additional Secretary, Department of Agriculture &amp; Farmers Welfare, Ministry of Agriculture &amp; Farmers Welfare. <a href="https://t.co/P4kM4xAaXD">pic.twitter.com/P4kM4xAaXD</a>&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://x.com/ANI/status/2061829889746141269?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 2, 2026</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.x.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

&nbsp;<h2>Lokhande Prashant Sitaram appointed new CBSE chairman</h2>&nbsp;Later in the day, the Centre appointed senior IAS officer Lokhande Prashant Sitaram as the new CBSE chairman. Sitaram is an IAS officer of the AGMUT cadre from the 2001 batch and moves to the CBSE from his posting as additional secretary in the ministry of home affairs.The government also appointed senior bureaucrat Varun Bhardwaj as the new CBSE secretary.&nbsp;Previous chairman Rahul Singh has been appointed as Additional Secretary, Department of Agriculture &amp; Farmers Welfare, Ministry of Agriculture &amp; Farmers Welfare.&nbsp;<h2>OSM evaluation introduced this year for Class 12 exams</h2>&nbsp;CBSE introduced the OSM digital evaluation mechanism this year for Class 12 board exams. Under the system, evaluators assessed scanned copies of answer sheets instead of physical answer books.&nbsp;After the declaration of results, students started alleging discrepancies in marking and answer-sheet evaluation, ranging from unchecked answers and incorrect totals to blurred scans.&nbsp;The board ran into further trouble after several students pointed out discrepancies in the OSM, from major security lapses to issues in the tender process.&nbsp;Discussions around the vendor selection process, cybersecurity concerns and delays in re-evaluation services further intensified public attention.&nbsp;CBSE later extended deadlines, issued multiple clarifications and said every genuine concern raised by students would be reviewed through the prescribed mechanism.

The Union government has also constituted 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 to the Department of Personnel and Training within one month.

The Union government cracked the whip on Tuesday and transferred CBSE Chairman Rahul Singh and Secretary Himanshu Singh amid the controversy over the evaluation of Class 12 examination papers, selection of vendors and OSM fiasco. Besides the shakeup at the top, the government has also ordered an inquiry into the procurement of On-Screen Marking (OSM) services, signalling a tough stance on alleged irregularities. The transfers at the top are being seen as big administrative actions after the controversy erupted. The government has constituted a one-member inquiry committee headed by S. Radha Chauhan, Chairperson of the Capacity Building Commission, to examine the procurement process. The panel chairperson can seek assistance from officers of government departments, while the Capacity Building Commission will provide secretarial support. The committee has been asked to submit its report to the Department of Personnel and Training within one month. The government action comes after weeks of scrutiny over CBSE’s evaluation and post-result processes, which sparked concerns among students, parents and teachers across the country.

The Union government has also constituted 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 to the Department of Personnel and Training within one month.

Govt cracks whip, shunts CBSE chairman, secretary after evaluation fiasco; orders probe into vendor selection

Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi on Sunday (May 31) accused the Centre of ignoring concerns raised by CBSE Class 12 students over alleged irregularities in the evaluation process and branding those seeking answers as "Soros agents" and "anti-nationals".&nbsp;Gandhi shared a video on X showing his interaction with a group of CBSE Class 12 students who claimed they had found discrepancies in their answer sheets during the re-evaluation process.&nbsp;In the post, Gandhi expressed support for the students and criticised the response they received after questioning their results.&nbsp;"A revealing chat with my fellow 'anti-national Soros agents.” Vedant and his friends are brilliant, brave young Indians who asked CBSE and the Modi government simple questions, but got insults instead of answers," read his tweet. “They deserve a bright and secure future. We will make sure they get it.”

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">A revealing chat with my fellow “anti-national Soros agents.” Vedant and his friends are brilliant, brave young Indians who asked CBSE and the Modi government simple questions - but got insults instead of answers. They deserve a bright and secure future. We will make sure they… <a href="https://t.co/5InBxgJv1B">pic.twitter.com/5InBxgJv1B</a>&mdash; Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) <a href="https://x.com/RahulGandhi/status/2060978887111405899?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 31, 2026</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.x.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

During the interaction, the students alleged that they discovered irregularities after obtaining photocopies of their answer sheets. They claimed that some answer sheets contained handwriting that did not match their own, while certain answers appeared to have been left unevaluated.&nbsp;Vedant, one of the students, said he faced online abuse and was labelled an "anti-national" and a "Soros agent" after publicly raising concerns about his marks.&nbsp;"The cover of the sheet was mine; I could identify my handwriting, but the pages inside had something completely else. It was not my handwriting in any case," said Vedant.&nbsp;The students said they repeatedly approached CBSE and government authorities seeking clarification, but did not receive satisfactory responses.&nbsp;"We brought this issue to X because we felt something was wrong. When there was a public uproar, to suppress us, they termed us 'deep state agents' who are trying to create unrest," Vedant added.&nbsp;Responding to the students, Gandhi described them as "brilliant and brave" and questioned why they were being targeted for seeking answers.&nbsp;"You are just students, you have nothing to do with anything. You are just asking for your answer sheets. Now, suddenly, you have become anti-nationals," said Gandhi.&nbsp;Also Read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/five-killed-several-injured-after-pg-building-collapse-near-delhi-s-saket-metro-station-1780222244816">Five killed, several injured after PG building collapse near Delhi's Saket Metro Station</a>&nbsp;He further said, "Government is refusing to accept the problem and is just blaming the kids."&nbsp;Meanwhile, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge demanded the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan amid the controversy surrounding the alleged CBSE evaluation irregularities.&nbsp;In a post on X, Kharge alleged that students raising concerns were being branded as "Deep State Agents" and "Pakistanis" instead of being heard.&nbsp;"They set out to create 'Exam Warriors', but instead branded them as 'Deep State Agents' and 'Pakistanis'. Whether it is 17-year-old CBSE candidates or NEET aspirants, the Modi government has trapped the nation's youth in the web of its corruption, conspiring to dismantle the country's education system," said Kharge.

Gandhi posted a video on X of his interaction with a group of CBSE Class 12 students who alleged irregularities in their answer sheets after seeking re-evaluation.

Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi on Sunday (May 31) accused the Centre of ignoring concerns raised by CBSE Class 12 students over alleged irregularities in the evaluation process and branding those seeking answers as "Soros agents" and "anti-nationals". Gandhi shared a video on X showing his interaction with a group of CBSE Class 12 students who claimed they had found discrepancies in their answer sheets during the re-evaluation process. In the post, Gandhi expressed support for the students and criticised the response they received after questioning their results. "A revealing chat with my fellow 'anti-national Soros agents.” Vedant and his friends are brilliant, brave young Indians who asked CBSE and the Modi government simple questions, but got insults instead of answers," read his tweet. “They deserve a bright and secure future. We will make sure they get it.”

Gandhi posted a video on X of his interaction with a group of CBSE Class 12 students who alleged irregularities in their answer sheets after seeking re-evaluation.

'Chat with fellow Soros agents': Rahul Gandhi says students were labelled 'anti-nationals' for seeking answers in CBSE OSM row

A 19-year-old boy identifying as a cybersecurity researcher has claimed that the test website of the Central Board of Secondary Education’s (CBSE) On-Screen Marking (OSM) contained a hard-coded “master password” that could reportedly be used to surpass OTP verification, log into examiner accounts and also change the marks of students.&nbsp;The allegations were raised by Nisarga Adhikary, who told Hindustan Times that he identified the suspected vulnerability while reviewing the backend code of the OSM test website introduced this year for Class 12 board exams. However, the Central Board of Secondary Education clarified that the main evaluation portal had not been breached, stating that the issues pointed out by the teenager were limited to a testing platform containing only sample data.&nbsp;The issue gained wider attention after a Delhi student, Vedant Shrivastava, claimed that the Physics answer sheet uploaded under his roll number did not belong to him. His posts on social media quickly went viral, following which CBSE reportedly admitted in an email reviewed by Hindustan Times that a technical glitch had resulted in the upload of an incorrectly scanned answer sheet.&nbsp;Similarly, a Class 12 student identified as Sanjana has also claimed that her Chemistry answer sheet has exploded across social media. In a clip on X, she is seen holding her evaluated paper and pointing out what she claims are glaring discrepancies in marking.<h3>Embedded ‘Master password' in code</h3>Adhikary claimed that the portal's frontend JavaScript bundle reportedly contained a “literal password string” embedded directly in the code. He added that after going through the authentication flow, he discovered that the password could bypass security checks, directly opening the evaluation dashboard.&nbsp;“I started examining the special logic for username, password, and OTPs and how it's processed. When examining that, I found a master password,” he told Hindustan Times. “After a bit of reading the code, I saw that the master password can bypass all the security protocols and open the dashboard directly.”&nbsp;The teenager alleged that by using an examiner’s user ID and school code, details he claimed were publicly accessible, it was possible to access examiner accounts without completing the OTP authentication step.&nbsp;Nisarga Adhikary further claimed that the level of access was broad enough to permit modifications to answer-sheet evaluations as well as examiner-related information. He alleged that once logged into an examiner’s account, a user could edit answer sheets, access examiner details, and perform other actions on the portal.&nbsp;He also stated that he was able to enter evaluation dashboards and make changes linked to examiner profiles, including altering personal and banking information. When asked about the potential risks, Adhikary claimed that such a vulnerability could have been misused by malicious actors to manipulate marks and obtain sensitive data. “He or she could have extracted data on a large scale and sell them on the black market. He or she would have tampered with marks, changed the marks of people as they want to,” he claimed. Adhikary also accused the process of having flaws in the OTP system, password-reset process and access controls inside the portal. “So anyone could enter any rubbish thing in the old password thing and use anyone's user ID and put a new password to take over their account, which was really insecure, in my opinion,” he said. He also alleged that several internal dashboards were accessible without adequate security protections. According to Nisarga Adhikary, multiple broken access-control vulnerabilities allegedly allowed users to access or view sections and information they were not authorised to see.&nbsp;Also read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/menstrual-hygiene-day-delhi-cm-rekha-gupta-focuses-on-hygiene-menstrual-awareness-campaigns-in-schools-1779975598656">Delhi CM Rekha Gupta focuses on hygiene, menstrual awareness campaigns in schools</a><h3>CBSE denied any allegations</h3>However, the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) denied allegations that its active evaluation system had been breached. The board clarified that the portal used for evaluating answer sheets operated on a separate URL, which, according to CBSE, was neither compromised nor affected by the vulnerabilities mentioned in the social media posts.&nbsp;In response to it, Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan addressed the controversy and claimed to take responsibility, assuring students and parents that "no one will be spared" if irregularities are found in the evaluation process. "I take responsibility. It will be fixed, and a solution will be found. We are all working on that task," he said.

Cybersecurity researcher Nisarga Adhikary, 19, claimed a CBSE test portal had a master password that bypassed OTPs, letting users alter student marks. CBSE denied any main system breach, stating the glitch was limited to a sample testing site. 

A 19-year-old boy identifying as a cybersecurity researcher has claimed that the test website of the Central Board of Secondary Education’s (CBSE) On-Screen Marking (OSM) contained a hard-coded “master password” that could reportedly be used to surpass OTP verification, log into examiner accounts and also change the marks of students. The allegations were raised by Nisarga Adhikary, who told Hindustan Times that he identified the suspected vulnerability while reviewing the backend code of the OSM test website introduced this year for Class 12 board exams. However, the Central Board of Secondary Education clarified that the main evaluation portal had not been breached, stating that the issues pointed out by the teenager were limited to a testing platform containing only sample data. The issue gained wider attention after a Delhi student, Vedant Shrivastava, claimed that the Physics answer sheet uploaded under his roll number did not belong to him. His posts on social media quickly went viral, following which CBSE reportedly admitted in an email reviewed by Hindustan Times that a technical glitch had resulted in the upload of an incorrectly scanned answer sheet. Similarly, a Class 12 student identified as Sanjana has also claimed that her Chemistry answer sheet has exploded across social media. In a clip on X, she is seen holding her evaluated paper and pointing out what she claims are glaring discrepancies in marking. Embedded ‘Master password' in code Adhikary claimed that the portal's frontend JavaScript bundle reportedly contained a “literal password string” embedded directly in the code. He added that after going through the authentication flow, he discovered that the password could bypass security checks, directly opening the evaluation dashboard. “I started examining the special logic for username, password, and OTPs and how it's processed. When examining that, I found a master password,” he told Hindustan Times. “After a bit of reading the code, I saw that the master password can bypass all the security protocols and open the dashboard directly.” The teenager alleged that by using an examiner’s user ID and school code, details he claimed were publicly accessible, it was possible to access examiner accounts without completing the OTP authentication step. Nisarga Adhikary further claimed that the level of access was broad enough to permit modifications to answer-sheet evaluations as well as examiner-related information. He alleged that once logged into an examiner’s account, a user could edit answer sheets, access examiner details, and perform other actions on the portal. He also stated that he was able to enter evaluation dashboards and make changes linked to examiner profiles, including altering personal and banking information. When asked about the potential risks, Adhikary claimed that such a vulnerability could have been misused by malicious actors to manipulate marks and obtain sensitive data. “He or she could have extracted data on a large scale and sell them on the black market. He or she would have tampered with marks, changed the marks of people as they want to,” he claimed. Adhikary also accused the process of having flaws in the OTP system, password-reset process and access controls inside the portal. “So anyone could enter any rubbish thing in the old password thing and use anyone's user ID and put a new password to take over their account, which was really insecure, in my opinion,” he said. He also alleged that several internal dashboards were accessible without adequate security protections. According to Nisarga Adhikary, multiple broken access-control vulnerabilities allegedly allowed users to access or view sections and information they were not authorised to see. Also read: Delhi CM Rekha Gupta focuses on hygiene, menstrual awareness campaigns in schools CBSE denied any allegations However, the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) denied allegations that its active evaluation system had been breached. The board clarified that the portal used for evaluating answer sheets operated on a separate URL, which, according to CBSE, was neither compromised nor affected by the vulnerabilities mentioned in the social media posts. In response to it, Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan addressed the controversy and claimed to take responsibility, assuring students and parents that "no one will be spared" if irregularities are found in the evaluation process. "I take responsibility. It will be fixed, and a solution will be found. We are all working on that task," he said.

Cybersecurity researcher Nisarga Adhikary, 19, claimed a CBSE test portal had a master password that bypassed OTPs, letting users alter student marks. CBSE denied any main system breach, stating the glitch was limited to a sample testing site.&nbsp;

Education system under threat? Questions raised over CBSE marking system after glitch found

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Govt cracks whip, shunts CBSE chairman, secretary after evaluation fiasco; orders probe into vendor selection

'Chat with fellow Soros agents': Rahul Gandhi targets Centre over CBSE OSM row

Education system at risk? Questions raised over CBSE marking glitch