CBSE gets new chairman, secretary on same day government orders OSM inquiry: Here's what's going on

Within hours of ordering an inquiry into the procurement of its On-Screen Marking system, the Centre replaced CBSE's top two officials. The simultaneous moves, a leadership reshuffle and a government probe announced on the same day, have turned the board's digital evaluation controversy into one of the most politically charged education disputes in recent memory.

Senior IAS officer Lokhande Prashant Sitaram has been appointed as the new Chairperson of CBSE, replacing Rahul Singh. Varun Bhardwaj has been named the board's new Secretary, replacing Himanshu Gupta. The appointments were approved by the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet.

Who is the new leadership

Lokhande Prashant Sitaram is a 2001-batch AGMUT cadre IAS officer who was serving as Additional Secretary in the Department of Home under the Ministry of Home Affairs. He holds the rank and pay of an Additional Secretary. Rahul Singh, the outgoing chairman, a 1996-batch Bihar cadre officer, has been transferred as Additional Secretary in the Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare.

Varun Bhardwaj, the incoming Secretary, is a 2008-batch Indian Information Service officer who was posted as Director in the Department of Higher Education under the Ministry of Education. He will serve as Secretary until September 19, 2027, under the Central Staffing Scheme.

The departure of Himanshu Gupta, the outgoing Secretary, is notably more pointed. A 2012-batch AGMUT cadre IAS officer, Gupta has been returned prematurely to his parent cadre, the Ministry of Home Affairs, on what the Personnel Ministry order described as "administrative grounds." An "extended cooling-off" condition has also been imposed, making him ineligible for another central deputation until December 12, 2030.

The OSM probe

The reshuffle came on the same day the government constituted a one-member inquiry committee headed by S Radha Chauhan, Chairperson of the Capacity Building Commission, to examine matters related to the procurement of services for the OSM system. The committee has been given one month to submit its findings.

The OSM controversy has been building since CBSE's Class 12 results were declared, with students and parents raising widespread complaints about technical glitches, payment-related problems, delays in verification and re-evaluation results, and, most seriously, allegations that scanned answer sheets made available by the board did not match students' own handwriting, suggesting possible mismatches during the digital evaluation process. CBSE acknowledged discrepancies in at least two cases and agreed to revise marks accordingly.

Congress fires back

The reshuffle drew an immediate and sharp political response. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi questioned why the Education Minister remained untouched even as the board's top officials were moved out.

"CBSE Chairman - Transferred. CBSE Secretary - Transferred. A one-member 'inquiry' committee - Formed. And the real culprit, Dharmendra Pradhan - Safe," Gandhi wrote on X. "Officials removed. Minister spared. This isn't accountability - it's a cover-up," he said.

The government has not explicitly linked the transfers to the OSM controversy. But with both officials replaced, a formal probe underway, and the Opposition demanding ministerial accountability, the scrutiny surrounding CBSE's digital evaluation system shows no signs of abating. The inquiry committee's report is due within a month.