IAS officer Mandeep Bhandari has been appointed as the chairman of CBSE

The CBSE appointment comes at a crucial time when the commission finds itself embroiled in a controversy over the implementation of the onscreen marking (OSM) system for the Class 12 board exams earlier this year. File | Photo credit: PTI

Mandeep Bhandari, a 2001 batch IAS topper, has been appointed as the chairman of the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE), according to a notification issued by the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet on Friday (September 25, 2026).

An AGMUT cadre officer, Mr. Bhandari held key leadership and administrative roles across Jammu and Kashmir and Central Government offices. He holds an MBBS degree and earlier served as Joint Secretary (Drugs Department) in the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Mr. Bhandari’s appointment to the CBSE comes at a crucial time when the board is embroiled in a controversy over the implementation of the On Screen Marking (OSM) system for the Class 12 board exams earlier this year. CBSE’s IT system also came under scrutiny when ethical hackers accessed sensitive information about student data by breaching its web portals.

Prior to his appointment as CBSE Chairman, Mr. Bhandari was the Principal Secretary to the Lieutenant Governor of J&K and served in the Governor’s office in Jammu since March 2023. He also held the additional post of Executive Director for Shri Amarnathji Shrine Board during his tenure in J&K.

He was also appointed as an additional director on the board of Jammu and Kashmir Bank in October 2023. Earlier, he served for more than eight years and managed the operations of the shrine at Katra in Jammu as the Additional Director General of the Board of Trustees of the Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine.

Mr. Bhandari was also the Private Secretary to the Human Resource Development Minister as well as Deputy Commissioner and District Magistrate of Leh and Jammu. He also served as Secretary in the Power Development Department and Sub Divisional Magistrate (SDM) in Budgam.

Published – 25 Sep 2026 23:25 IST