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CBSE Gets New Chairperson & Secretary
Leadership Overhaul at CBSE Amid On-Screen Marking Controversy
In a major administrative reshuffle, the Union government has replaced the top leadership of the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) following widespread criticism and technical failures related to its new On-Screen Marking (OSM) system for Class 12 board examinations.
New Appointments
The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) announced the following changes on June 2, 2026:
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Chairperson: Lokhande Prashant Sitaram, a 2001-batch IAS officer of the AGMUT cadre, has been appointed the new CBSE Chairperson. He was previously serving as an Additional Secretary in the Ministry of Home Affairs.
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Secretary: Varun Bhardwaj, a 2008-batch Indian Information Service officer who was serving as a Director in the Ministry of Education, has been named the new CBSE Secretary.
Administrative Changes
The outgoing officials were transferred immediately:
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Former Chairman Rahul Singh has been moved to the Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare as an Additional Secretary.
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Former Secretary Himanshu Gupta has been "prematurely repatriated" to his parent cadre in the Ministry of Home Affairs, with a condition of an "extended cooling off" period, rendering him ineligible for central deputation until December 2030.
Inquiry into OSM System
Beyond the leadership changes, the government has constituted a one-member inquiry committee to investigate the procurement of services for the board’s digital evaluation system.
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Committee Head: The inquiry will be led by S. Radha Chauhan, Chairperson of the Capacity Building Commission.
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Mandate: The committee is tasked with reviewing the entire procurement process, vendor selection, and implementation protocols of the OSM system.
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Timeline: A formal report must be submitted to the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) within one month.
Context of the Controversy
The CBSE faced mounting pressure after introducing a fully digital On-Screen Marking system for the 2026 Class 12 exams. Students and parents reported significant issues, including:
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Blurred or illegible scanned answer sheets.
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Missing pages or anomalies where scripts from other candidates were displayed.
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Technical glitches in the post-result portal and online payment systems.
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Security vulnerabilities exposed by ethical hackers regarding the OnMark platform.
The Board has since opened a re-verification portal (active until June 6, 2026) to allow students to raise concerns about their answer books. This leadership change and the formal inquiry reflect the government's attempt to address these widespread concerns regarding transparency and accountability in the board's evaluation processes.
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