Rahul Gandhi vs CBSE: Inside the explosive Class 12 ‘tampering’ row
Blow-by-blow: Rahul Gandhi vs CBSE over ‘massive tampering’ allegation in Class 12 results row
A fresh political storm erupted after Congress leader Rahul Gandhi accused the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) of “massive tampering” in the Class 12 evaluation process linked to the board’s new On-Screen Marking (OSM) system.
The controversy intensified within hours as CBSE issued a sharp rebuttal, calling the allegations “misleading” and “factually incorrect”, while demanding that public discourse remain responsible and evidence-based.
How the controversy unfolded
The faceoff began when Rahul Gandhi questioned CBSE’s decision to award its digital evaluation contract to Hyderabad-based edtech company Compete Edu Tech. He alleged that the firm had a controversial track record and claimed lakhs of students may have suffered because of irregularities in the evaluation system.
In a strongly worded statement, Gandhi demanded:
- A judicial inquiry into the OSM process
- Formation of a Special Investigation Team (SIT)
- Full transparency over the awarding of the contract
- Answers from the Union Education Ministry
The Congress leader also raised four pointed questions:
- Why was the contract awarded to the company?
- Were rules bypassed during the selection process?
- Why were background checks allegedly ignored?
- Whether there was any connection between the firm and the Modi government
CBSE hits back
CBSE quickly rejected the allegations, stating that the accusations were “erroneous, misleading and not based on facts.”
According to the board:
- The contract process followed General Financial Rules (GFR)
- The tender was floated publicly through the Central Public Procurement Portal
- The company was selected through a formal bidding process
- Due procedures and technical evaluations were completed before awarding the contract
The board insisted that the integrity of the Class 12 evaluation system remained intact and urged political leaders not to create panic among students and parents.
Rahul Gandhi escalates attack
After CBSE’s clarification, Rahul Gandhi doubled down on his allegations and accused the board and the Centre of avoiding “simple questions.”
He said that a mere denial was not enough and claimed the future of nearly 18.5 lakh students was at stake. Gandhi also linked the controversy with wider concerns over examination transparency and education reforms under the Narendra Modi government.
The political row has since snowballed into a national debate over:
- Digital evaluation systems
- Transparency in public contracts
- Student mental health
- Examination accountability
Why the issue matters
The dispute comes at a sensitive time when students and parents across India are already worried about examination credibility following recent controversies around competitive exams and paper leak allegations.
Education experts say the growing dependence on digital assessment systems requires:
- Strong cybersecurity safeguards
- Transparent audit mechanisms
- Independent oversight
- Faster grievance redressal systems
The row has now become one of the biggest education-related political controversies of the year.
Latest developments in the controversy
- CBSE has formally defended the OSM tender process and denied all wrongdoing.
- Rahul Gandhi has reiterated his demand for a judicial probe and SIT investigation.
- Opposition parties are backing calls for greater transparency in exam evaluation systems.
- The controversy is fueling wider political attacks over education governance and student welfare ahead of upcoming parliamentary sessions.
- Social media campaigns around alleged discrepancies in board evaluation have continued to trend online.
Experts believe the issue could trigger a larger review of digital evaluation practices used in national-level examinations.
