Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi on Monday sharpened his attack on the Narendra Modi government and the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE), accusing the board of unfairly charging students for correcting errors that may have originated within its own evaluation system. In a strongly worded post, Gandhi warned students to “beware of pickpockets sitting inside CBSE”, turning the ongoing controversy over the board’s On-Screen Marking (OSM) system into a fresh political flashpoint.
The Congress leader questioned why students should be required to pay fees for verification and re-evaluation when the alleged discrepancies being reported across the country relate to the board’s own assessment process. His remarks come amid growing complaints from students and parents over answer-sheet mismatches, alleged marking errors, blurred scans, portal glitches and difficulties in accessing re-evaluation services under the newly introduced digital evaluation system.
The controversy has been brewing for days following reports from several CBSE Class XII students who claimed that scanned copies of answer sheets provided by the board either did not match their handwriting or contained discrepancies in evaluation. Social media platforms have since been flooded with complaints from students alleging irregularities in the assessment process, leading to demands for greater transparency and accountability.
Gandhi has emerged as one of the most vocal critics of the OSM system. Over the past week, he has repeatedly accused the government of failing to answer questions regarding the digital evaluation process and the awarding of the OSM contract to Hyderabad-based firm Coempt Edutech. The Congress leader has alleged that the company had previously been associated with controversies in Telangana and has demanded an independent judicial inquiry as well as a Special Investigation Team (SIT) probe into the entire matter.
The latest criticism over re-evaluation fees comes as CBSE formally opened its verification and re-evaluation portal for Class XII students on June 1. Students seeking verification of marks, photocopies of answer books or re-evaluation are required to pay prescribed fees as part of the review process. Gandhi argued that the burden of paying to rectify possible institutional errors should not fall on students and their families.
The BJP-led government and the CBSE have strongly rejected allegations of wrongdoing. The board has described Gandhi’s claims regarding the OSM contract as “erroneous” and “misleading”, maintaining that all procurement norms and General Financial Rules were followed while awarding the contract. CBSE has also defended the integrity of the digital evaluation system, stating that safeguards and grievance-redressal mechanisms are in place to address student concerns.
Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan has also entered the political battle, accusing Gandhi of politicising the issue and insisting that due procedures were followed. While acknowledging concerns raised by students, the minister said any genuine irregularities would be addressed through the appropriate channels. Gandhi, however, has continued to press for answers, arguing that the future of nearly 18.5 lakh students cannot be treated lightly.
The dispute has rapidly evolved from a technical debate over digital evaluation into a broader political confrontation between the Congress and the Centre. What began as complaints from students regarding answer-sheet discrepancies has now triggered questions over procurement procedures, transparency in examination systems and the financial burden imposed on students seeking redress.
With the re-evaluation process now underway and political pressure mounting, the CBSE OSM controversy shows little sign of subsiding. As students continue to seek clarity on their results, the battle over accountability, transparency and trust in India's largest school examination board is likely to remain at the centre of national attention in the days ahead.
