Amid controversy surrounding the CBSE’s On-Screen Marking (OSM) system to check Class 12 results, a student has alleged several discrepancies in the tender process, which he argued pointed towards preferential treatment of Hyderabad-based Coempt Eduteck Pvt Ltd.
Sarthak Sidhant, 17, claimed several discrepancies in the tender process that pointed towards preferential treatment of a particular service provider. He shared his findings in a detailed blog that included a comparison of several CBSE tender documents.
Sidhant, a Class 12 student from Jharkhand, described himself as one of the 17 lakh students affected by the OSM process. He said concerns over his own evaluation experience prompted him to investigate the OSM tender process.
What Did Sarthak Find?
Over several
days, Sidhant reviewed and compared multiple versions of CBSE’s tender documents before publishing his findings on his website. In his blog, the student said that CBSE gradually modified eligibility and technical criteria across three rounds of bidding, ultimately enabling Coempt EduTeck to qualify for the contract.
He also highlighted that Coempt Eduteck, earlier called Globarena Technologies, had previously faced scrutiny over its role in the 2019 Telangana Intermediate examination process. He said the company never signed a formal agreement with the Telangana State Board, and missing marks and systemic discrepancies impacted over 3.8 lakh students.
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Sidhant said the CBSE issues a public Request for Proposal (RFP) to invite competitive bids. It issued its first tender on February 4, 2025, for which TCS and Coempt Eduteck applied, before it was wiped from public records.
The student alleged that the CBSE modified clauses related to previous blacklisting, poor performance criteria, turnover requirements and project eligibility norms to favour Coempt Eduteck over TCS. In the old RfP, the board said a service provider would be instantly disqualified in case of a record of poor performance, but the clauses were completely wiped out in the new RfP.
The blog also alleged revisions to software certification requirements and image-scanning standards used during answer-sheet digitisation.
“The third thing I found out is the 50 crore limit, which you needed to qualify, and Coempt qualified that by 1.7%. The time frame of corrupt practices was halved, and there were project criteria changes,” he told news agency ANI, adding that the revised criteria disadvantaged larger technology firms.
#WATCH | Ranchi, Jharkhand | A class 12th student, Sarthak Sidhant, says, “…I have written a blog that compares the tender documents of CBSE. I have uploaded and published it… There were at least 15 discrepancies, as per my blog. I would like to highlight three or four of them.… pic.twitter.com/TtL7DgOe9M
— ANI (@ANI) May 30, 2026
Rahul Gandhi Backs Student’s Claims
The blog quickly caught attention after Congress leader Rahul Gandhi shared it on X. “17-year-old Sarthak Sidhant has exposed how CBSE manipulated its own selection process to benefit COEMPT, using CBSE’s own documents,” he said.
“An independent judicial inquiry is now essential to uncover the full extent of this scam. Sarthak’s work shows that India’s Gen Z is brilliant and fearless. And sooner or later, they will find out the full truth,” he added.
17-year-old Sarthak Sidhant has exposed how CBSE manipulated its own selection process to benefit COEMPT, using CBSE’s own documents.
The details in his blog reveal how CBSE changed the RFP to unduly benefit COEMPT, at the cost of TCS.
He has revealed the hollowness of… https://t.co/g7YSYIxDrh
— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) May 29, 2026
AAP national convenor Arvind Kejriwal also urged people to read Sidhant’s blog, alleging that rules were altered to award the contract to a “shady company” that impacted the future of lakhs of students.
CBSE Response
CBSE officials denied any wrongdoing, stating that the tender was awarded in accordance with established procurement norms and that Coempt EduTeck emerged as the lowest qualified bidder under the Quality-and-Cost-Based Selection (QCBS) framework.
Officials said the modifications made during the bidding process were intended to address shortcomings identified in earlier rounds and should not be viewed as attempts to favour any particular company, according to Moneycontrol.
Meanwhile, Coempt Eduteck also denied any irregularities, with CEO VSN Raju insisting that the company was cleared in subsequent legal proceedings after the 2019 Telangana fiasco.
What Is The CBSE Row About?
The controversy centres around OSM, the digital evaluation mechanism introduced by CBSE this year for Class 12 board exams. Under the system, evaluators assessed scanned copies of answer sheets instead of physical answer books. The board had described the transition as a move aimed at improving transparency, consistency and speed in evaluation.
However, following the declaration of results, students across social media began alleging discrepancies in marking and answer-sheet evaluation. Complaints ranged from unchecked answers and incorrect totals to blurred scans, missing pages and technical glitches while accessing answer sheets through the portal.
Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan said he takes full responsibility for the matter and assured students that “no one will be spared” if any irregularities are found in the evaluation process.
