CBSE OSM row: Hyderabad firm, Coempt EduTeck, under scanner amid fiasco

The controversy surrounding CBSE's on-screen marking system has shifted focus from technical glitches and answer-sheet errors to the involvement of a private company and potential conflicts of interest. Social media claims link former IIT Madras professor S Sadagopan to Hyderabad-based Coempt EduTeck Pvt Ltd, which is allegedly connected to CBSE's digital evaluation infrastructure. 

Meanwhile, IIT Madras Director V Kamakoti is expected to review the issues affecting Class 12 students this year.

CBSE has not publicly disclosed the private company responsible for the digital infrastructure of its evaluation system. But Nisarga Adhikary, a 19-year-old ethical hacker, identified Coempt EduTeck as the vendor linked to the OnMark digital evaluation platform used by CBSE. Official documents indicate the 2026 system operated through OnMark with infrastructure connected to Coempt EduTeck, but CBSE has not confirmed the vendor's identity publicly.

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Coempt EduTeck, formerly Globarena Technology Pvt Ltd, has faced scrutiny in previous digital evaluation projects, including the CHSE Odisha Plus II e-evaluation and the 2019 Telangana Intermediate Board results controversy. The company was questioned over execution and subcontracting practices in these cases.

India Today contacted Coempt EduTeck for comments, but no response was received. CBSE also did not reply to queries. 

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi accused the board of massive irregularities in the results, questioned the contract awarding process, and demanded an independent judicial inquiry and a Special Investigation Team. He stated on social media that the CBSE results were marred by irregularities and linked Coempt to past controversies in Telangana. He alleged that errors in the on-screen marking system contributed to the suicide of 23 students in Telangana.

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Gandhi questioned the awarding of the CBSE contract to Coempt, the absence of background checks, and the company's relationship with the Modi government. He called the situation a calculated conspiracy affecting nearly 18.5 lakh students and demanded an independent inquiry and SIT. He assured students that their hard work and future could not be stolen.

The Congress party intensified its criticism of the government and demanded the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, calling the prime minister's protection of the minister shameful.

Concerns about the system were reportedly raised months before the controversy. Adhikary claimed to have alerted CERT-In about vulnerabilities in the OSM portal. A cybersecurity expert described Coempt's technology as outdated and questioned whether the platform was designed to handle large user loads. Issues were also noted with the payment gateway and coding structure.

The controversy expanded after students reported problems accessing and scrutinising answer sheets post-results. Complaints included blurred scans, missing pages, incorrect sequencing, and answer-sheet mismatches. In one case, CBSE admitted to mixing up a student's Physics answer sheet and corrected the error.