CBSE chairman, secretary out! New team takes charge amid exam evaluation storm

The Centre has appointed senior IAS officer Prashant Sitaram Lokhande as the new Chairman of the Central Board of Secondary Education and Indian Information Service officer Varun Bhardwaj as its Secretary, as the board grapples with a widening controversy over its On-Screen Marking (OSM) system and the awarding of a key contract to a private company.

IBNS • 2 Jun 2026, 09:00 pm

The appointments come days after the transfer of former CBSE Chairman Rahul Singh and Secretary Himanshu Gupta amid growing scrutiny of the digital evaluation process introduced this year.

Lokhande replaces Rahul Singh

Lokhande, a 2001-batch AGMUT cadre IAS officer, was serving as Additional Secretary in the Union Home Ministry before his appointment.

He succeeds Rahul Singh, who has been posted as Additional Secretary in the Agriculture Ministry.

Varun Bhardwaj named new secretary

Varun Bhardwaj, a 2008-batch Indian Information Service officer, takes over as CBSE Secretary after serving in the Education Ministry.

He replaces Himanshu Gupta, whose premature repatriation to his parent cadre, the Union Home Ministry, has been approved on administrative grounds amid the controversy surrounding the OSM system.

Probe into OSM system underway

The leadership changes come as a one-member committee examines the implementation of CBSE's newly introduced On-Screen Marking system.

The board adopted the digital evaluation mechanism for Class 12 examinations this year, requiring evaluators to assess scanned copies of answer sheets instead of physical answer books.

The committee is expected to submit its findings to the government shortly.

CBSE opens re-evaluation portal

Amid mounting criticism, CBSE on Tuesday opened a dedicated re-evaluation portal for students affected by issues linked to the digital evaluation process.

The portal will remain open until midnight on June 6. Students who have already obtained scanned copies of their evaluated answer books can apply for verification of discrepancies and seek re-evaluation of specific answers.

The board clarified that only students who have accessed their scanned answer sheets are eligible to use the facility.

Technical glitches add to concerns

Apart from questions surrounding the tender process, CBSE has also faced criticism over technical glitches, payment failures and delays in the verification and re-evaluation process.

The issues have prompted calls from students, parents and lawmakers for greater transparency and accountability in the board's examination system.