Rahul Gandhi cites student blog in fresh CBSE hiring process attack
Synopsis
A 17-year-old student's blog has become the latest flashpoint in the CBSE controversy — with Rahul Gandhi citing it to allege the board rewrote its own tender rules to favour one vendor over TCS. With nine lakh answer sheets reportedly shared online and a re-evaluation underway, the political and institutional pressure on CBSE is intensifying fast.
Key Takeaways
Rahul Gandhi on 29 May cited a blog by Class 12 student Sarthak Sidhant to allege CBSE altered its RFP to favour Coempt Edu Teck over TCS .
Gandhi demanded an 'independent judicial inquiry' into what he called a 'deliberate conspiracy' in CBSE exam evaluation.
CBSE denied all allegations of impropriety; BJP noted Coempt Edu Teck also received contracts in Congress-governed Telangana and Karnataka .
The controversy began when student Vedant Shrivastava received a wrong answer sheet on 19 May ; CBSE later corrected the error.
Reportedly nine lakh scanned Class 12 answer sheets have been shared online as part of a re-evaluation exercise.
Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan chaired a high-level review meeting at CBSE headquarters to address evaluation concerns.
Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Friday, 29 May escalated his offensive against the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE), citing a blog post by a Class 12 student to allege that the board manipulated its vendor selection process to favour a company called Coempt Edu Teck over TCS. The attack came even as CBSE launched a re-evaluation exercise for Class 12 answer sheets, with reportedly nine lakh scanned copies shared online with students.
What the Student Blog Alleged
'Seventeen-year-old Sarthak Sidhant has exposed how CBSE manipulated its own selection process to benefit COEMPT, using CBSE's own documents,' Gandhi wrote in a post on X. He added that the blog revealed how 'CBSE changed the RFP to unduly benefit COEMPT, at the cost of TCS.'
Sarthak, a Class 12 student, described himself as among 'the 17 lakh students that have been affected by the On Screen Marking (OSM) system' introduced by CBSE. Claiming to have examined CBSE tenders over several days, he highlighted what he characterised as loopholes in the procurement process.
Gandhi's Demands and Political Messaging
Gandhi renewed his call for a judicial inquiry, writing: 'An independent judicial inquiry is now essential to uncover the full extent of this scam.' He also questioned the silence of the Prime Minister and described Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan's denials as hollow. 'The question is simple: who are they protecting, and why?' he wrote, repeating language from earlier posts on the matter.
Gandhi had previously alleged 'massive tampering' in CBSE exam results, calling it a 'deliberate conspiracy' — claims the board has denied.
Government and BJP Response
The CBSE formally dismissed Gandhi's allegations of impropriety in the contract award. Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders countered by pointing out that the same company, Coempt Edu Teck, had received project awards from institutions in Telangana and Karnataka — both states governed by the Indian National Congress (Congress) — seeking to undercut the opposition's line of attack.
On Thursday, Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan chaired a high-level review meeting at CBSE headquarters in New Delhi to assess issues related to the Class 12 evaluation and post-result processes.
How the Controversy Began
The dispute traces back to a Class 12 student, Vedant Shrivastava, who applied for a photocopy of his Physics answer sheet on 19 May after receiving unexpectedly low marks. Four days later, he posted on X that the scanned sheet emailed to him by CBSE did not match his handwriting and clearly belonged to another student. CBSE subsequently rectified the error and sent him the correct answer sheet, which Vedant acknowledged in a follow-up social media post.
The episode has since broadened into a wider political confrontation over the integrity of CBSE's digital evaluation system, with the re-evaluation of Class 12 scripts now underway. Whether the judicial inquiry Gandhi is demanding gains traction will depend on how the government responds to mounting pressure from students and opposition alike.
Point of View
The institutional credibility gap will remain open.
NationPress
7 Aug 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What did Rahul Gandhi allege about CBSE's hiring process?
Gandhi alleged that CBSE manipulated its Request for Proposal (RFP) to favour a company called Coempt Edu Teck over TCS in the award of an evaluation contract. He based the claim on a blog post by Class 12 student Sarthak Sidhant, who said he had examined CBSE tender documents.
Who is Sarthak Sidhant and what did his blog reveal?
Sarthak Sidhant is a 17-year-old Class 12 student who wrote a blog claiming to have investigated CBSE tenders. He alleged loopholes in the procurement process and said the RFP was changed in a way that benefited Coempt Edu Teck at the expense of TCS.
How did the CBSE answer-sheet controversy start?
The dispute began when student Vedant Shrivastava applied for a photocopy of his Physics answer sheet on 19 May after receiving unexpectedly low marks. He later posted on X that the sheet emailed to him belonged to another student; CBSE corrected the error and sent him the right sheet.
What has the government said in response to the allegations?
CBSE formally denied any impropriety in the contract award. Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan chaired a high-level review meeting at CBSE headquarters to address evaluation concerns, and BJP leaders pointed out that Coempt Edu Teck also received contracts in Congress-governed Telangana and Karnataka.
What is Rahul Gandhi demanding over the CBSE controversy?
Gandhi is demanding an independent judicial inquiry, arguing it is 'now essential to uncover the full extent of this scam.' He has also called on the Prime Minister to break his silence on the matter.
