NSUI moves Delhi High Court seeking probe into CBSE’s on-screen marking system

The petition has also sought directions for the formulation of safeguards and protocols for future digital evaluation systems and has requested compensatory higher marks for students whose answer scripts were allegedly missing, blurred or incorrectly evaluated without any fault on their part.

What does the petition say?

• The petition states that CBSE introduced the OSM system on February 9, 2026, under which physical answer books were scanned and evaluated digitally, instead of being checked manually.
• It further adds that the system was projected as a measure to enhance transparency, speed and standardisation in the assessment process.
• However, according to the plea, concerns regarding the reliability of the new mechanism surfaced after CBSE declared the Class 12 results on May 13, 2026.
• The petition points out that the overall pass percentage fell to 85.20%, the lowest recorded in the past seven years, and that the number of students scoring above 90% also declined significantly.
• The plea argues that the decline, coupled with subsequent complaints from students, warrants an independent examination of the evaluation process.
• It notes that the board acknowledged technical glitches in its portal for obtaining scanned copies of answer sheets due to heavy traffic and later announced that more than 1.27 lakh applications, seeking access to 3.87 lakh scanned answer books, had been received within a short period.
• According to the petitioner, the volume of requests reflects widespread concern among students regarding the accuracy and transparency of the CBSE evaluation process.

Irreparable prejudice to students

Arguing that Class 12 CBSE results directly affect admissions, scholarships and higher education opportunities, the NSUI has contended that any errors in the evaluation process can cause irreparable prejudice to students.

It has alleged violations of Article 14 (right to equality) of the Constitution, claiming that CBSE students whose answer sheets were correctly scanned and evaluated were treated differently from those whose scripts may have been affected by scanning defects, upload errors or portal failures.

“The Petitioner is constrained to approach this Hon’ble Court because the issue is not confined to a few isolated grievances. It concerns the integrity of the national examination system itself. The matter affects lakhs of students and therefore deserves urgent public law intervention,” the plea filed through advocates Rishav Ranjan and Ajay Chhikara read.

The petition further asserted that the existing system provides only limited digital remedies and lacks an effective mechanism for manual verification in cases where students dispute the accuracy or completeness of scanned answer books.

“That several students were left with only limited digital remedies and no meaningful mechanism for manual verification or independent rechecking of their answer sheets. The existing process does not provide adequate protection where the scanned copy itself is disputed or where there is doubt regarding upload, completeness or correctness of the answer book,” the petition read.