New Delhi: Senior advocate and Rajya Sabha MP Kapil Sibal on Wednesday sharply criticised the Centre over the ongoing controversy surrounding the Central Board of Secondary Education's (CBSE) On-Screen Marking (OSM) system, questioning accountability after top officials were transferred and an inquiry was ordered.
Sibal's X post came after the Centre transferred CBSE Chairman Rahul Singh and Secretary Himanshu Gupta on Tuesday. In his remarks, he said "blame the small fish, protect the big fish," a veiled attack suggesting accountability is being fixed on CBSE officials while higher authorities, including the Centre and Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, are being shielded.
He also alleged a "corrupt contract will not be investigated" (COEMPT), implying no probe into alleged irregularities by them, and questioned "Where is CBI & ED?", calling for investigations by central agencies.
"CBSE fiasco. CBSE chairman and secretary moved out. Blame the small fish, Protect the big fish. Corrupt contract will not be investigated. Where is CBI & ED ?" Sibal's X post read.
His remarks came shortly after the Centre transferred CBSE officials and constituted a one-member inquiry committee to probe issues related to the procurement of services for the board's On-Screen Marking system.
According to an official order, the inquiry will be headed by S Radha Chauhan, Chairperson of the Capacity Building Commission.
The committee has been tasked with examining procurement-related matters concerning the OSM system and has been empowered to seek assistance from other government departments as required. It has been directed to submit its report to the Department of Personnel and Training within one month.
The development comes amid growing scrutiny of CBSE's digital evaluation system, with reports of technical glitches in its post-result portal and alleged discrepancies in evaluated answer sheets.
Earlier, Parliamentary Standing Committee on Education, Women, Children, Youth and Sports Chairman Digvijaya Singh also said the panel will examine concerns raised by students regarding the OSM system after hearing representations from students, including class 12 student Sarthak Sidhant.
Meanwhile, CBSE said its re-evaluation portal has already recorded over 28,000 successful submissions by 10 pm on Tuesday. The board added that improvements, including extended session time limits, have been implemented to improve user experience, while teams continue to monitor the system for stability and security.
This report was published from a syndicated wire feed. Apart from the headline, the EdexLive Desk has not edited the copy.
