Daijiworld Media Network - New Delhi
New Delhi, May 31: The Congress party on Sunday alleged a major security and privacy breach in the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) evaluation system, claiming that answer booklets of nearly 20 lakh Class 12 students were accessible in the public domain. The CBSE has strongly denied the allegations, calling them misleading and factually incorrect.
Congress leader and former Union minister Jairam Ramesh raised the issue on social media platform X, alleging that a “massive data leak” had exposed students’ answer scripts and compromised their privacy.
He also questioned the selection process of the private vendor involved in scanning and processing answer sheets under the On-Screen Marking (OSM) system, alleging that technical conditions in the tender were modified in a manner that benefited the company concerned. He further claimed that the quality of scanned documents suggested the use of mobile phones instead of high-end scanning equipment.
The Congress leader also flagged concerns about alleged procedural changes in the tendering process and sought clarification on the safeguards in place for handling sensitive student data.
The Central Board of Secondary Education, however, firmly rejected the allegations, stating that the evaluation portal had not been compromised and no security breach had been detected.
In its clarification posted on X, the Board said claims referring to a compromised URL were misleading, adding that the actual evaluation portal used for checking answer scripts was different from the one mentioned in the allegations and remained secure.
The CBSE also dismissed accusations of irregularities in awarding contracts for digitisation and evaluation services, describing them as “erroneous and not based on facts.”
Separately, the Board had earlier reiterated that its On-Screen Marking system includes robust safeguards to protect student data and ensure confidentiality throughout the evaluation process.
The controversy also drew wider political attention, with criticism directed at the government over procurement and digital infrastructure practices. The CBSE, however, maintained that the system remains secure and fully compliant with established evaluation protocols.