The Congress on Monday intensified its attack on the Centre over the alleged cybersecurity breach in the Central Board of Secondary Education’s (CBSE) On Screen Marking (OSM) system, demanding accountability from the Ministry of Education and calling for the resignation of union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.
Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh alleged that CBSE had initially denied vulnerabilities in its digital evaluation platform before eventually acknowledging that the system had been compromised.
He also questioned the role of the contractor, COEMPT, and accused the authorities of shielding the company despite concerns over its performance.
“After denying the cybersecurity vulnerabilities in its On Screen Marking (OSM) system for weeks, the CBSE has finally acknowledged that the system has been compromised,” Ramesh said in a post on X.
The Congress leader questioned whether any action would be taken against the contractor responsible for operating the system. “But what action is it planning to take against its contractor COEMPT? Not much,” he alleged.
Ramesh further claimed that changes made to the tender conditions before the contract was awarded indicated an attempt to protect the vendor.
According to him, CBSE’s Request for Proposal (RFP) issued in August 2025 had retained provisions allowing the board to blacklist vendors that failed to deliver effectively. However, he alleged that a corrigendum issued the following month removed the board’s power to blacklist such firms.
“It appears that COEMPT’s benefactors in the CBSE and the Ministry of Education anticipated that COEMPT would not be fit to the task,” he said, describing the change as “an inexplicable, government-backed attempt to save COEMPT” that allegedly began even before the company formally secured the contract.
The controversy relates to the OSM system used by CBSE for the digital evaluation of answer scripts, a critical component of the examination process affecting lakhs of students across the country. Concerns over cybersecurity vulnerabilities and the integrity of the evaluation process have triggered political criticism, with opposition parties seeking greater transparency regarding the management of the system and the awarding of related contracts.
Escalating his attack on the government, Ramesh accused the Education Ministry of presiding over irregularities that, he claimed, had adversely affected students.
“How much longer will the nation have to put up with Mantri Pradhan, whose Ministry has overseen and enabled such unfathomable irregularities in its tenders and which has cost lakhs of students their mental well-being” he said.
The Congress leader also targeted the Prime Minister and the union Education Minister, alleging a lack of accountability in public office. “The Mantri Pradhan should follow his rajdharma and resign,” Ramesh said.
There was no immediate response from the Ministry of Education, CBSE or COEMPT to the allegations. The board has previously maintained that it is committed to ensuring the security and integrity of its examination and evaluation systems.
The latest remarks add to the growing political controversy surrounding the functioning of CBSE’s digital infrastructure, with the opposition demanding answers on cybersecurity safeguards, procurement procedures and accountability within the education administration.
