The National Students' Union of India (NSUI) has moved the Delhi High Court with a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) challenging the Central Board of Secondary Education's (CBSE) newly introduced On-Screen Marking (OSM) system used to evaluate Class 12 board examination answer sheets. The petition, filed through NSUI President Vinod Jhakhar, alleges that the digital evaluation framework is flawed, arbitrary, and has adversely affected the academic futures of lakhs of students across India.

What Is the On-Screen Marking System

The OSM system is a digital evaluation method in which physical answer scripts are scanned, digitally masked to conceal student identities, and then assessed by teachers on a computer screen. CBSE introduced the mechanism for the Class 12 board examinations as part of a broader push toward digital assessment.

However, the NSUI's petition contends that the rollout was marred by serious technical failures, including blurred scans, missing pages, mismatched answer sheets, incomplete uploads, and unexpectedly low marks reported by students following the declaration of results.

Scale of the Problem

The PIL points to CBSE's own public communications acknowledging technical glitches in the portal used to provide scanned copies of answer books to students. According to the petition, approximately 1,27,146 applications relating to nearly 3,87,399 scanned answer books were submitted within a short window after the portal was restored — a volume the NSUI argues reflects an extraordinary lack of confidence in the evaluation process.

'When such a large number of students seek scanned copies immediately after result declaration, the matter cannot be treated as a routine post-result formality,' the plea stated. The petition argued that the concerns were not isolated but represented a systemic issue affecting lakhs of students who sat for the examinations under the new digital framework.

Constitutional and Academic Stakes

Class 12 board results carry direct consequences for university admissions, professional college eligibility, scholarship opportunities, and entrance examination eligibility. The petition invoked Article 14 of the Constitution, alleging arbitrary and unequal treatment, given that students whose answer sheets were properly scanned cannot be placed on equal footing with those whose scripts were allegedly affected by scanning defects or technical errors.

'Students cannot be made to suffer because of deficiencies in a system introduced by the authorities themselves,' the plea stated. The petition also flagged an inadequate grievance redressal mechanism, alleging that affected candidates were left with limited digital remedies and no access to meaningful manual verification or independent rechecking of disputed answer sheets.

Results and the Broader Context

CBSE declared the Class 12 results on 13 May, with the overall pass percentage dropping to 85.20%, down from 88.39% the previous year. Reports also indicate a decline in the number of students scoring 90% and above. This comes as CBSE on Tuesday opened an online facility for Class 12 students to seek verification of marks and re-evaluation of results, though only those who have already obtained photocopies of their evaluated answer books are eligible to apply for the next stage.

Notably, this is not the first time a major examination board's digital overhaul has faced legal scrutiny. The transition from paper-based to screen-based evaluation has been a contested shift in several states as well, with concerns about infrastructure readiness and evaluator training recurring across jurisdictions.

What the PIL Seeks

The NSUI has prayed for judicial directions to reopen the verification portal for one month, permit manual rechecking and physical verification of answer sheets in disputed cases, order an independent inquiry into the alleged irregularities, and frame safeguards and guidelines for future digital evaluation systems. The matter is expected to come up for hearing before the Delhi High Court in the coming days.