CBSE answer sheet mix-up: Student claims copy not theirs amid portal glitches

The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) is facing intensified scrutiny following allegations by a Class 12 student, Vedant Shrivastava, that the Physics answer sheet uploaded by the board under his roll number during the photocopy access process "does not belong" to him. Shrivastava claimed that the handwriting, answers, and presentation in the uploaded copy were entirely different from his own, raising serious doubts about whether his actual answer sheet was ever evaluated. He stated that his family and teachers immediately noticed the discrepancies when compared to his English and Computer Science papers, which matched each other and his writing style. This incident has compounded existing concerns over the CBSE's newly implemented On-Screen Marking (OSM) system, which has been criticized for potential technical lapses and evaluation errors. The controversy unfolds against a backdrop of widespread technical disruptions plaguing the CBSE's post-result services portal. Students have reported numerous issues, including portal crashes, payment glitches, blurred or incomplete scanned copies of answer sheets, and difficulties in accessing information. These technical failures have led to significant student and parent anxiety, particularly as the deadline for requesting scanned copies of evaluated answer books approached. In response to the escalating problems, the CBSE has extended the deadline for students to request scanned copies of their answer books multiple times, with the latest extension pushing the deadline to midnight on May 25, 2026. This measure aims to provide students with adequate time to submit their requests amidst the ongoing technical challenges. Furthermore, the Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan has taken proactive steps to address the systemic issues. He has directed experts from the Indian Institutes of Technology (IIT) Madras and IIT Kanpur to assist the CBSE in resolving the technical glitches and strengthening the portal's infrastructure. These experts are tasked with conducting a thorough analysis of the portal's stability, server performance, and overall IT infrastructure, and identifying the root cause of the disruptions, including the possibility of a cyberattack. Four public sector banks have also been involved to stabilize the payment gateway and ensure a smoother transaction process. In light of Vedant Shrivastava's specific complaint, the CBSE has acknowledged the answer sheet mix-up. The board admitted to the error and has since provided the student with the correct copy of his Physics answer sheet. The student's marks are expected to be revised following a re-evaluation. This admission by the CBSE validates the student's concerns and brings to the forefront the critical need for robust and accurate digital evaluation processes. The incident has sparked a nationwide debate on the transparency, fairness, and reliability of the CBSE's digital evaluation system, with many questioning its implementation and the potential for future errors. The controversy over the OSM system has also led to a significant drop in the overall pass percentage for Class 12 examinations, which fell to 85.20% in 2026, the lowest since 2019. This decline, coupled with the evaluation and portal issues, has intensified criticism of the board's handling of the examination process. The broader context of the OSM system's implementation reveals that it was introduced as a measure to improve transparency, reduce human error, and speed up evaluation. However, concerns were raised even before the results were declared, with some teachers reporting inadequate training for the new system. The system involves scanning physical answer sheets and evaluating them digitally, with an estimated 9.8 million answer sheets scanned for the 2026 cycle. Despite the aim of eliminating errors, issues such as blurred scans, missing pages, and mismatches have been reported, leading to increased demand for re-evaluation and verification services. Legal support has also been extended to Vedant Shrivastava, with a Supreme Court advocate offering pro bono legal assistance amidst the online trolling and personal attacks he faced after raising his concerns. The student's family has expressed distress over the unwarranted social media attacks, highlighting the emotional toll the incident has taken. In summary, the CBSE is grappling with a multifaceted crisis involving technical failures in its re-evaluation portal, a specific case of an answer sheet mix-up, and broader concerns about the reliability and implementation of its new On-Screen Marking system. The situation has necessitated external expert intervention and has led to significant public discourse on the future of digital evaluation in educational assessments in India.

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