CBSE Launches Online Re-evaluation Portal as Digital Evaluation Crisis and OSM Security Rumors Intensify

The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has activated a new online portal for mark verification and re-evaluation to address widespread student grievances following the controversial rollout of the On-Screen Marking (OSM) system. While the Board officially denies rumors of a security breach, the digital transition continues to face intense scrutiny from parents, cybersecurity activists, and political leaders.

RMN News Education Desk
New Delhi | June 2, 2026

CBSE Launches Redressal Portal Amid Systemic Failures

The CBSE has officially launched its online portal allowing candidates to challenge marks from the recently declared Class 12 board examinations. To minimize technical errors that could lead to application rejection, the Board released an instructional video guide to assist students with Aadhaar authentication and subject selection. Candidates can now apply for two distinct services: the verification of marks to check for totaling errors and a full re-evaluation of specific answer scripts.

This launch comes at a critical time, as the 2026 results revealed a 3.19% decrease in the overall pass percentage, dropping to 85.20% and leaving over 1.63 lakh students in the “compartment” category.

The OSM Controversy: Technical Glitches and Data Concerns

The decline in academic performance is being largely attributed to the re-introduced On-Screen Marking (OSM) system. Under this framework, physical answer scripts are scanned and evaluated digitally. However, the rollout has been marred by reports of blurred answer sheets, missing pages, and mismatched scanned copies featuring unfamiliar handwriting.

Critics argue that the digital transition has eliminated the “informal moderation” historically provided by human examiners, replacing it with a rigid system that lacks nuance. Furthermore, reports indicate that examiners received rushed online training just one month before evaluations began, leading to inconsistent grading across the 11.3 lakh digitized books.

Security Breach Denials and Cybersecurity Alarms

Amid the technical failures, the CBSE was forced to issue a formal clarification regarding claims that its OSM portal had been compromised. The Board stated that a URL cited in social media reports was merely a testing environment used for internal reviews and contained no actual student data.

Despite these assurances, the controversy deepened as ethical hackers and cybersecurity researchers flagged vulnerabilities within the digital evaluation infrastructure, alleging that student data had been exposed. The Education Ministry has since initiated an internal crackdown to investigate these alleged irregularities.

Political Fallout: Gandhi Slams “Massive Tampering”

The crisis has also entered the political arena. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi, alleging “massive tampering” in the results and claiming the future of India’s youth is being compromised. Gandhi’s critique centered on a lack of accountability for the digital debacle. However, some reports have characterized his response as “armchair politics,” noting a lack of ground-level leadership or organized protests following the social media allegations.

Grievance Redressal and Deadlines

For the 404,000 students who have requested copies of their answer sheets, the CBSE has outlined a sequential three-stage redressal process. The current window for the re-evaluation of specific answers—at a fee of ₹100 per question—remains open until June 5. The Board maintains that its digital process ensures regional objectivity and transparency, despite the significant backlash from stakeholders.