CBSE OSM Row Revives Questions on Telangana Interim Results 2019 Controversy

A member of the National Students’ Union of India (NSUI) during a protest against the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) over irregularities and technical glitches in the On-Screen Marking (OSM) system at Indira Bhawan, in New Delhi, Thursday (May 28, 2026) | Photo credit: PTI

Controversy surrounding the Central Board of Secondary Education’s (CBSE) Online Screening and Marking (OSM) system for the evaluation of the Class XII answer sheet has once again brought Telangana into the limelight, with academics drawing parallels with the 2019 state intermediate results fiasco.

At the center of the latest debate is Coempt Edu Tech, the firm that handled the online assessment platform used by CBSE. The company is headed by VSN Raju, who was the CEO of Globarena Technologies, the agency involved in the digitized intermediate examination process in Telangana, which came under scrutiny after the 2019 result controversy.

The controversies and accusations surrounding both issues are the same – that the technology was not tested for credibility before implementation. Now thousands of students have lost faith in the system. The 2019 Telangana fiasco was linked to unfortunate incidents of several students taking their own lives who took the extreme step due to wrong delivery of marks.

Coempt Edu Tech new name Globarena Technologies

CBSE’s OSM system has faced criticism from students, parents and teachers across the country, with complaints on social media regarding portal crashes, students receiving blurry scans of answer sheets and technical glitches during the evaluation process. Leader of Opposition, Rahul Gandhi posted on social media where he recalled how Coempt Edu Tech was the new name of Globarena Technologies, which was involved in the Intermediate Marks fiasco in Telangana. “Why has there been no due diligence on the company despite its controversial past?”

Although the CEO, VSN Raju, had claimed before the adoption that the OSM platform was running dry, reports have shown otherwise. Reports that the CBSE teams also warned against adopting the technology in haste and without adequate testing were also highlighted by Mr Rahul Gandhi who demanded accountability from Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.

2019 Telangana mid-term crisis

However, the controversy has revived memories of Telangana’s 2019 midterm results crisis, when irregularities in the processing of results sparked widespread protests across the state. More than 9,000 students appeared for the exams and initially declared marks showing thousands of students either failing or absent led to public outrage. That’s when several students ended their lives.

Following the controversy, the Telangana government constituted a three-member expert committee comprising GT Venkateswar Rao, the then Executive Director of Telangana State Technology Services (TSTS), A. Vassan and Nishanth Dongari of IIT Hyderabad.

One of the committee members, who now wants to remain anonymous for his comments, recalled that the software had not been tested enough to be accepted for such a large and sensitive system, which led to the problems.

The commission’s report concluded that the errors occurred as a result of human error and deficiencies in the design and implementation of the software application used to process the results. She found that the technical agency did not complete the required application modules within the time frames specified in the work order and expressed dissatisfaction with the overall work experience of Globarena Technologies.

Based on the findings, the government adopted several recommendations, including changes to the mechanisms for processing results and consideration of action against those responsible. The then Education Commissioner Janardhan Reddy disclosed the same to the media after receiving the report.

The matter has also generated considerable political controversy. In 2019, the then Telangana Congress Working President A. Revanth Reddy, who is now the Chief Minister, alleged that the company had close ties with influential political figures, including then IT Minister KT Rama Rao, and demanded a comprehensive probe into the handling of data and examination contracts. The then Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) government denied the allegations.

Mr. Reddy also alleged that Globarena and another company Magnetic also cheated JNTU Kakinada and a case was registered. He also released documents showing how an inquiry was initiated into JNTU Kakinada and Globarena’s tie-up to automate the examination system with a financial commitment of ₹268 crore.

Seven years on, it is still unclear what action has been taken against those responsible for the fiasco, although Globarena has been removed from the system. The Hindu tried to contact Mr. Raja for his comments, but he did not respond to calls.

Published – 30 May 2026 13:21 IST