Delhi HC rejects plea to reopen CBSE Class 12 revaluation portal
Synopsis
The Delhi High Court refused to reopen CBSE's revaluation portal for Class 12 students, warning it could disrupt admissions for 17 lakh candidates. With 1.67 lakh applications already filed and NSUI's PIL alleging systemic flaws in the new On-Screen Marking system — blurred scans, missing pages, mismatched sheets — the case puts CBSE's digital evaluation overhaul under its first serious judicial scrutiny.
Key Takeaways
The Delhi High Court on 12 June declined to order urgent reopening of the CBSE Class 12 revaluation portal.
The bench warned that reopening could impact college admissions for 17 lakh students .
1.67 lakh students have already filed revaluation applications through the portal, according to Solicitor General Tushar Mehta .
The NSUI PIL, filed through President Vinod Jakhar , alleges systemic flaws in CBSE's On-Screen Marking (OSM) system including blurred scans and mismatched answer sheets.
The High Court had issued notices to the Centre and CBSE on 8 June ; aggrieved students may still approach the court individually.
The Delhi High Court on Friday, 12 June declined to issue urgent directions for reopening the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) digital revaluation portal for aggrieved Class 12 students, citing the risk of disrupting the college admissions process for nearly 17 lakh students. The ruling came on a petition that challenged the fairness of CBSE's newly introduced On-Screen Marking (OSM) system.
What the Court Said
A vacation bench comprising Justice Neena Bansal Krishna and Justice Madhu Jain observed orally that reopening the portal at this stage could adversely affect the future admissions process for 17 lakh students. The bench clarified that aggrieved students and their parents remain free to approach the court individually for redressal.
Government's Position
Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing on behalf of the Centre, informed the court that 1.67 lakh students have already filed revaluation applications through the portal. Mehta argued that there is no scope for accepting fresh applications at this stage, warning that reopening the portal would disrupt college admission counselling for those who had already applied.
Background: The NSUI Petition
On 8 June, the High Court had issued notices to the Centre and the CBSE in a public interest litigation (PIL) filed by the National Students' Union of India (NSUI), the student wing of the Indian National Congress (INC). Filed through NSUI President Vinod Jakhar, the petition raised concerns about the OSM system — a digital evaluation process under which physical answer sheets are scanned, digitally masked to conceal student identities, and assessed by examiners on computer screens.
The PIL alleged that thousands of students across the country faced issues including blurred scans, missing pages, mismatched answer sheets, incomplete uploads, and unexpectedly low marks following the declaration of Class 12 board results. According to the petition, these are not isolated incidents but reflect a systemic issue affecting lakhs of students examined under the new digital assessment framework.
What Is at Stake for Students
The petition contended that Class 12 board marks carry far-reaching consequences — determining eligibility for university admissions, professional colleges, scholarships, and entrance examinations. 'Class 12 board marks are not only a record of academic performance. They determine admission to universities, professional colleges, scholarship opportunities, entrance eligibility and the overall academic future of students,' the plea stated.
Notably, this is the first major legal challenge to the OSM system since its rollout, and the court's eventual ruling could set a precedent for how CBSE handles digital evaluation grievances in future academic cycles. The matter is expected to be heard substantively after the vacation period.
Point of View
But it sidesteps the harder question: if the OSM system has systemic flaws — as the petition alleges — then the students who did not file revaluation applications in time may have no meaningful remedy. The 1.67 lakh applications already filed suggest the scale of grievance is real, not manufactured. CBSE's shift to digital evaluation was presented as a transparency upgrade; the irony is that the very opacity of algorithmic scanning has generated more distrust than the old system ever did. The court's substantive hearing will need to grapple with whether a digital process that students cannot audit is compatible with the stakes attached to Class 12 marks.
NationPress
10 Aug 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Why did the Delhi High Court refuse to reopen the CBSE revaluation portal?
The court declined to issue urgent directions because reopening the portal at this stage could disrupt the college admission counselling process for approximately 17 lakh students. The bench noted that 1.67 lakh students had already filed applications and that allowing fresh filings would create administrative complications.
What is the CBSE On-Screen Marking (OSM) system?
OSM is a digital evaluation process introduced by CBSE in which physical answer sheets are scanned, digitally masked to hide student identities, and then assessed by examiners on computer screens. The NSUI petition alleges the system has produced issues such as blurred scans, missing pages, and mismatched answer sheets for Class 12 students.
Who filed the PIL challenging the CBSE revaluation portal?
The PIL was filed by the National Students' Union of India (NSUI), the student wing of the Indian National Congress, through its President Vinod Jakhar. The petition was admitted and notices were issued to the Centre and CBSE on 8 June.
Can aggrieved Class 12 students still seek relief?
Yes. The Delhi High Court clarified that aggrieved students and their parents are free to approach the court individually for redressal, even though a blanket reopening of the portal was not ordered.
What are the broader implications of the OSM challenge?
This is the first major judicial challenge to CBSE's digital evaluation framework. The outcome could set a precedent for how the board handles answer-sheet grievances in future years, particularly as OSM is expected to be expanded across more examinations.
