Story perspectives

Cabinet Appointments Committee Names Mandeep K Bhandari CBSE Chair

By Drooid · Sep 26, 2026, 3:59 AM UTC · How we work

Center

Students report missing scans

The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet approved senior IAS officer Mandeep K Bhandari as chairperson of the Central Board of Secondary Education on 25 September 2026.
His selection follows a rapid succession of chair changes after the On-Screen Marking controversy, replacing Lokhande Prashant Sitaram, who had been acting after Rahul Singh’s transfer.
Students complained the OSM system produced missing scanned answer sheets during the 2026 Class 12 results.

Right

Bureaucratic Leadership Boost

The Cabinet’s Appointments Committee approved senior IAS officer Mandeep K Bhandari as CBSE chair on 25 September 2026.
His selection is presented as injecting seasoned bureaucratic leadership to restore stability following the On-Screen Marking controversy.
The chairperson post is temporarily upgraded to the rank and pay of an Additional Secretary.
Bhandari earned a gold medal in MBBS at Dayanand Medical College, Ludhiana.
He will lead CBSE’s preparation for the 2026-27 academic and examination cycle.

Blindspot

Students complained that the board’s On-Screen Marking system produced blurred or missing scanned answer sheets during the 2026 Class 12 result release.
Within this story's sources, this angle appears mainly in Center-leaning coverage and receives less attention in Right-leaning coverage.

History

Historical Context

On 9 February 2026 CBSE ordered an On-Screen Marking (OSM) system for Class 12, shifting from physical transport to digital scanning. The rollout scanned about 9.87 million answer books, employed roughly 70 000 evaluators, and after results on 13 May 2026 sparked complaints about blurred scans, mismatched sheets and a pass-rate fall to 85.2 %. In response, the Ministry removed chairman Rahul Singh and now appoints IAS officer Mandeep K Bhandari to restore trust.

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Students report missing scans

The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet approved senior IAS officer Mandeep K Bhandari as chairperson of the Central Board of Secondary Education on 25 September 2026.
His selection follows a rapid succession of chair changes after the On-Screen Marking controversy, replacing Lokhande Prashant Sitaram, who had been acting after Rahul Singh’s transfer.
Students complained the OSM system produced missing scanned answer sheets during the 2026 Class 12 results.

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