Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Monday, June 1, 2026, sharply criticised the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) over the fees it charges students seeking re-evaluation of their answer sheets, calling the board's officials 'pickpockets.' The Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha posted a detailed breakdown of the charges on X, arguing that students are being made to pay for the board's own errors.

In his post, Gandhi wrote: 'जेबकतरों से सावधान - आज वो CBSE के अंदर बैठे हैं' ('Beware of pickpockets — today they are sitting inside CBSE'). He itemised the fee structure as follows: a digital scan copy costs ₹100 per subject, re-totalling costs ₹100 per paper, and re-evaluation costs ₹25 per question. Gandhi argued that a student could end up paying up to ₹2,000 simply to get their own answer sheet correctly checked.

Context

CBSE is the national-level autonomous examination body under the Ministry of Education that conducts Class 10 and Class 12 board examinations for millions of students across India every year. After results are declared, students who believe their marks are incorrect can apply for a photocopy of their answer sheet, re-totalling of marks, or a full re-evaluation — each of which attracts separate fees.

Gandhi's post comes in the wake of board results season, when large numbers of students and parents routinely raise grievances about marking discrepancies. His framing — that students are billed for errors the board itself commits — has resonated widely on social media.

Policy Backdrop

CBSE has operated a fee-based post-result grievance system since at least the mid-2000s, with charges for photocopies, re-totalling, and re-evaluation structured to manage the volume of applications. The board's examination bye-laws govern these charges and are revised periodically through official circulars.

Critics have long argued that the cumulative cost of availing all three services — photocopy, re-totalling, and re-evaluation — can be prohibitive for students from lower-income families, effectively creating a financial barrier to accessing a fair correction process. The board's examinations affect over 30 lakh students each year, making the reach of any such fee structure significant.

Stakeholders and Impact

The primary stakeholders are CBSE students and their parents, particularly those appearing in Class 10 and Class 12 board examinations, for whom a single mark can determine college admissions and career trajectories. For families in smaller towns and rural areas, an outlay of ₹2,000 for re-evaluation services represents a meaningful financial burden.

Opposition leaders, including Gandhi, have repeatedly framed such charges as barriers to transparency in a high-stakes system. The post fits into a broader pattern of political scrutiny directed at examination boards over result accuracy and the equitable treatment of students seeking redress.

What's Next

CBSE typically revises its examination bye-laws and fee schedules ahead of each new board cycle through annual circulars. Parliamentary questions on student grievance redressal mechanisms have been raised in previous sessions and are likely to follow Gandhi's public intervention.

Whether the Ministry of Education responds to the political pressure by reviewing the fee structure — or whether CBSE issues a clarification — will be closely watched by student groups and parents ahead of the next examination season.