CBSE exam scandal has drawn student anger against Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government after India’s largest school board faced complaints over scanned answer books, digital evaluation and re-evaluation delays following Class XII results announced on Wednesday, May 13, 2026.
CBSE exam scandal grows after Class XII results
India’s Central Board of Secondary Education is facing an escalating credibility crisis after students raised complaints about the digital evaluation of Class XII answer books under its newly introduced on-screen marking system.
CBSE introduced On-Screen Marking, or OSM, for Class XII answer books for the 2026 board examinations. In a circular dated Monday, February 9, 2026, the board said the system was being introduced to improve efficiency and transparency, reduce totalling errors and limit manual intervention.
The Class XII examinations were held from Tuesday, February 17, 2026, to Friday, April 10, 2026, and results were declared on Wednesday, May 13, 2026. Soon after, students began reporting problems with scanned answer books and evaluation outcomes.
Complaints included alleged missing pages, blurred scans, incorrect answer books, missing supplementary sheets, missing maps or graphs, and evaluation against a different question set. CBSE’s own June 2026 press release listed these categories as issues students could raise through its verification portal.
The controversy has since moved beyond routine post-result dissatisfaction. Students and parents have questioned whether the system was adequately tested before being used in one of the country’s most consequential school-leaving examinations.
On-screen marking at centre of CBSE row
CBSE has defended OSM as a digital evaluation method in which teachers assess scanned answer books on a computer screen rather than marking physical copies.
In an official explainer issued in May 2026, the board said the system was conceptualised earlier, tested through dry runs, and intended to reduce posting, uploading and totalling errors. It also said computers did not mark answers; examiners continued to evaluate scripts, with the method of assessment shifting from paper to screen.
CBSE said the system included quality checks at scanning and evaluation stages. It said answer books could be rescanned if they were not clear and that evaluators had the option to reject unreadable scans.
However, the public controversy intensified because many student complaints appeared to relate precisely to the quality and accuracy of scanned copies. CBSE later opened a portal for “verification of issues observed” in scanned answer books and re-evaluation of answers.
The portal opened on Tuesday, June 2, 2026, and was scheduled to remain available until Saturday, June 6, 2026, at midnight. Students who had obtained scanned copies of their evaluated answer books were allowed to apply online for correction of observed issues and re-evaluation.
The board set a fee of INR 100 per answer book for verification of scanned-copy issues and INR 25 per question for re-evaluation. The entire process was made online.
CBSE exam scandal turns political
The CBSE exam scandal has now become a political issue because it affects students whose Class XII scores can influence university admissions, scholarships and career choices.
Student anger has increasingly been directed at the Union education ministry and the wider Modi government. Opposition leaders have accused the government of mishandling examination systems and failing to protect students from administrative and technological failures.
Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan has acknowledged that some discrepancies came to light in the first full-scale use of the OSM system and said corrective measures would be taken. Reports citing his remarks said experts from IIT Kanpur and IIT Madras were brought in to review technical aspects of the system.
The government also reportedly transferred CBSE’s chairperson and secretary and ordered an inquiry into procurement linked to OSM services.
The issue has been amplified by student-led mobilisation online, including youth groups demanding accountability from the education ministry. Some groups and opposition figures have called for Pradhan’s resignation.
Students face uncertainty over corrections
For students, the immediate concern is whether corrected marks will be processed before college admission deadlines.
CBSE has said it will examine verification and re-evaluation requests and communicate outcomes after completing the process. The board has not publicly issued a final number of students whose marks have been changed after verification or re-evaluation.
This uncertainty has added pressure on students who believe their scores do not match expected performance or who say their scanned copies contain errors.
The controversy also raises a wider governance question: whether large public examination systems should introduce major digital changes without a longer transition, independent audit and clearer grievance safeguards.
Background
CBSE is one of India’s most important school examination boards and conducts Class X and Class XII examinations for students in India and abroad. Its 2026 Class XII evaluation process marked the first full use of OSM for the board’s senior secondary answer books.
The board said the system was intended to improve speed, accuracy, transparency and secrecy while reducing manual handling. It also said answer scripts were scanned without cutting the spine and that quality checks were built into the process.
The current controversy is part of broader public anxiety in India over examinations, following recent allegations of paper leaks, technical failures and administrative lapses in major entrance and school exams. For many students, exam marks remain closely tied to access to higher education and employment opportunities.
What’s next
CBSE’s immediate challenge is to complete verification and re-evaluation in a way that students and parents regard as credible, transparent and timely. The government will also face pressure to publish the findings of any inquiry into the OSM rollout and procurement process.
The CBSE exam scandal will remain politically sensitive for the Modi government until affected students receive clear answers, corrected marks where necessary and a credible assurance that future digital evaluation systems will be independently tested before full implementation.
Published in SouthAsianDesk, June 4, 2026
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