On 3 June, the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet approved the appointment of Lokhande Prashant Sitaram as Chairperson of the Central Board of Secondary Education. This leadership change occurred alongside the transfer of outgoing Chairman Rahul Singh and Secretary Himanshu Gupta, with Varun Bhardwaj named as the new Secretary. The administrative overhaul follows scrutiny of CBSE’s On-Screen Marking system and technical issues affecting post-result services.According to Hindustan Times, Prashant Lokhande’s appointment as CBSE Chairperson was formalised through an official notification, while Varun Bhardwaj was appointed Secretary on deputation. The outgoing Secretary, Himanshu Gupta, was repatriated to his parent cadre on administrative grounds. The appointments were made amid ongoing concerns about CBSE’s digital infrastructure and student complaints regarding the OSM system.As noted in an article by The Hindu, the leadership changes followed a Parliamentary Standing Committee meeting where a 17-year-old student, Sarthak Sidhant, presented findings on alleged irregularities in the OSM tendering process. The committee, chaired by Digvijaya Singh, discussed the use of OSM in Class 12 exams and issues faced by students, with CBSE officials present during the session.Expert analysis indicated that the CBSE’s verification and re-evaluation portal was targeted by a coordinated cyberattack, involving a denial-of-service operation and attempts at unauthorised file access. Despite the attack, CBSE reported that the portal continued to function, processing thousands of student applications and implementing improvements based on feedback.Opposition parties demanded the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan after the transfer of CBSE officials, as coverage revealed. Congress leaders, including Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge, called for an independent inquiry, alleging that the transfers were insufficient and that accountability should extend to the ministerial level.“Our demand remains the same today: Dismiss the education minister and conduct an independent inquiry,” Rahul Gandhi stated, according to official social media posts.Reporting indicated that the OSM system’s rollout was marred by technical glitches, cyberattack claims, and student complaints about answer sheet discrepancies. The Ministry of Education ordered an inquiry into the procurement process for the OSM system, with the contract awarded to Coempt EduTeck after a competitive tender process.Administrative records showed that Prashant Lokhande, a 2001 batch IAS officer of the AGMUT cadre, was serving as Additional Secretary in the Ministry of Home Affairs prior to his CBSE appointment, as details emerged. The government also constituted a one-member committee, chaired by S Radha Chauhan, to investigate the OSM procurement and report within a month.Mid-sentence attribution showed that the leadership changes were prompted by public outcry over the OSM system’s technical failures and student grievances following reports. The new Chairman and Secretary were appointed after official confirmation of vulnerabilities in the OSM portal, which had been flagged by cybersecurity researchers and students.“The vendor had a security audit certificate, and the Board didn’t do an audit of the vendor’s systems,” official sources stated regarding the OSM portal’s vulnerabilities.End-of-paragraph attribution confirmed that CBSE’s own panel had previously identified significant technical and operational issues during a dry run of the OSM system, recommending a delay in its implementation by a year as analysis showed. Despite these warnings, the system was rolled out nationwide, leading to widespread complaints and the subsequent leadership overhaul.Note: This article is produced using AI-assisted tools and is based on publicly available information. It has been reviewed by The Quint's editorial team before publishing.