New Delhi [India], May 27 (ANI): Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday alleged 'massive tampering' in CBSE exam results and demanded an independent judicial probe and SIT investigation, claiming that the future of nearly 1.85 million students has been compromised due to alleged irregularities in the evaluation system.

In a post shared on X, the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha said the controversy points to a 'deliberate conspiracy' by Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government and raised questions over the awarding of contracts related to the evaluation system.

'There has been a massive tampering in the CBSE exam results, leaving millions of children across the country and their parents in shock. And Mr. Modi? As always--no answers, no accountability, no shame,' he wrote.

He further alleged that the company COEMPT, which was assigned responsibility for the system, had earlier operated under the name Globarena and was involved in a similar controversy in Telangana in 2019.

'Name changed--but the intent is the same, the nature the same. Everyone knew the history, yet the contract was still awarded. The future of 1.85 million children was handed over to such a company, and no one batted an eye. This isn't a mistake--it's a deliberate conspiracy,' he further wrote.

Rahul Gandhi also questioned the awarding of the contract and alleged procedural lapses.

'Why was the CBSE contract given to COEMPT, and on whose orders? - Which rules and procedures were bypassed to award this contract to the company? - COEMPT had already been embroiled in controversies under the name Globarena--why didn't CBSE know about it? Why weren't background checks done? - What exactly is the connection between COEMPT's management and the Modi government?' he asked.

'We demand that an independent judicial inquiry and SIT be immediately constituted to bring the real culprits of this entire scam to light,' he said, adding that students' futures 'cannot be stolen.'

'We will dig to the root of this conspiracy and uproot this corruption once and for all,' he further added.

https://x.com/RahulGandhi/status/2059540364252623306

However, the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) on Tuesday strongly refuted the claims about On-Screen Marking (OSM) being compromised, stating that the URL circulating on social media is different from the portal used for the evaluation of answer books.

In an official statement, CBSE clarified that the URL circulating on social media is not the actual evaluation portal but a testing site containing sample data.

'The Portal used for evaluation of answer-books bore a different URL, which has neither been compromised nor does it have the vulnerabilities indicated in the said social media post,' the Board said, adding that no actual student data or marks were exposed.

CBSE also said the system used for evaluation has strong safeguards and grievance redressal mechanisms to ensure transparency and integrity in the assessment process.

The Board further noted that it had earlier corrected a typographical error in a social media post regarding the URL and reiterated that no security breach had occurred.

Meanwhile, CBSE reported that over 4 lakh applications were received for scanned copies of answer books, while nearly 11.3 lakh answer books were requested by students as part of post-result processes. It also said that IIT Madras and IIT Kanpur have been roped in to assist in ensuring a smooth re-evaluation process.

This comes at a time when the CBSE is facing mounting pressure following reports of technical failures in its post-result portal and discrepancies in evaluated answer sheets. (ANI)