New Delhi: The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has acknowledged that an incorrect scanned answer sheet was uploaded against a grade 12 student’s roll number due to a technical glitch in the On-Screen Marking (OSM) system.The newly introduced system, rolled out this year for board exam evaluations, has been facing widespread criticism, with students flagging portal crashes, payment issues, blurred scanned copies, missing pages and even mismatched answer sheets.Concerns about transparency, trust and accuracy intensified after a grade 12 student, Vedant Shrivastava, alleged that the Physics answer sheet uploaded by CBSE under his roll number was not his. He was trolled and even labelled a “Pakistani”.Wrong scanned copies uploadedOn Monday (May 25) night, Vedant wrote a series of post on X underlining that “we were correct on our claims and the answer sheet indeed got exchanged.”“We have got my correct answer sheet by CBSE. CBSE officials reached out to us in the evening and has sent my answer sheet, We were correct on our claims and the answer sheet indeed got exchanged,” he wrote. “Thanks to the people who supported us in these tough times and we faced so much mental harrasment because of this . People called us antinational and Pakistani just because we raised a genuine concern and at the end Truth has prevailed .”We have got my correct answer sheet by CBSE . CBSE officials reached out to us in the evening and has sent my answer sheet, We were correct on our claims and the answer sheet indeed got exchanged .— VEDANT (@VEDANTSHRIV17) May 25, 2026Earlier on May 23, Vedant wrote that he had applied for photocopies of his Physics answer sheet after securing “unexpectedly low marks” in the exam, when results were announced on May 13.Upon receiving the scanned copies, he noticed that the script uploaded against his roll number did not match his “handwriting style, letter formation, spacing, slant or sentence flow.”Further, he highlighted the discrepancies and even uploaded screenshots of his Chemistry, English and Computer Science papers to emphasise the difference in writingVedant wrote, “I studied for an entire year. I sacrificed sleep, peace of mind, outings, everything for these exams. And now I don’t even know whether my actual Physics paper was checked. Do students really deserve this?”I studied for an entire year.I sacrificed sleep, peace of mind, outings, everything for these exams.And now I don’t even know whether MY actual Physics paper was checked.Do students really deserve this?— VEDANT (@VEDANTSHRIV17) May 23, 2026.Vedant further claimed that the oversight severely impacted his Physics-Chemistry-Mathematics (PCM) aggregate, crucial for passing the 75% eligibility benchmark for admission to several higher education and professional courses. Questioning the transparency and fairness of the OSM system, he said, “if answer sheets themselves are getting mismatched, then how are students supposed to trust this process? Students are not experiments.”Same type of issue happened with my physics the answer sheet is not mine and I am awarded 50% marks for the answers written by some other student where is my real answer sheet which i written where are my real marks because of that I am not getting 75% in PCM aggregate https://t.co/6BUm6IommR— VEDANT (@VEDANTSHRIV17) May 23, 2026Online trolling and backlashThe controversy deepened after an advocate stated he was unable to trace the student online, triggering speculation. Many users accused Vedant of attempting to malign the CBSE and trolled him with terms such as “anti-national” and “Pakistani,” when his X account location displayed “South Asia” instead of India.In response to the backlash, several users pointed out that India is a part of South Asia and broad regional identifiers can be displayed because of specific account preferences or application settings. Vedant’s brother also called out the disturbing behaviour in an X post, clarifying his brother had only set up an account to flag the issue.Rajma chawal after such a hectic day a big thanks to all who supported us from Vedant and Siddhant and we are not Pakistani pic.twitter.com/JNdf2szqvN— Siddhant Srivastava (@iamsidddhant) May 25, 2026Vedant’s father, Sanjay Shrivastava, while speaking to Hindustan Times, recollected the difficulties his son faced in even applying for re-evaluation after the results were released. “He was called Pakistani and heavily trolled because his account location was showing South Asia. His brother later clarified this was due to a technical issue while setting up the account. It has taken a toll on his mental health and he is staying away from his phone now,” he said.CBSE’s responseIn an email reply to Vedant, CBSE confirmed that an error was made and said corrective actions would be taken to update his marks accordingly. “Upon review, the matter has been examined, and the correct copy of your answer book has been sent to your registered email address. Necessary action for updating your result, as applicable, is also being undertaken accordingly,” the board wrote on X.Dear Vedant,Thank you for bringing your concern regarding your Physics answer book to our attention.Upon review, the matter has been examined, and the correct copy of your answer book has been sent to your registered email address. Necessary action for updating your result,…— CBSE HQ (@cbseindia29) May 25, 2026A senior CBSE official, who spoke to Hindustan Times under the condition of anonymity, also verified the mix-up but did not comment on why the mistake happened in the first place.Growing distrust in national examination agenciesCBSE implemented the OSM as a part of the board’s push for quicker and more accurate digitised assessment, aiming to increase post-result transparency. At a press conference on May 17, Sanjay Kumar, secretary of department of school education and literacy, said three-levels of security checks were maintained under the system to ensure reliability and accuracy. He further argued that digitisation of the process eliminated human errors in totalling of the scores.However, multiple students, including Vedant, have reported discrepancies caused by the OSM system, ranging from mismatched answer sheets, blurred copies, missing pages, to portal crashes. The process has drawn extensive backlash, especially in light of the recent NEET-UG paper leak.Several people, including Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, came out in support of Vedant. “A 17-year-old boy, whose answer sheet was wrongly evaluated, turned to social media in hope of justice. But instead of help, he got abuse – BJP’s IT cell branded him an ‘Anti-National,’ called him a ‘Soros agent,’ a part of the ‘Deep State’, ” he wrote on X.He also said it was the first time in decades that questions about the CBSE board examinations had been raised and that “the Modi-Shah duo has turned yet another institution into a symbol of rigging.”“The truth is – Modi government fears the youth and Gen Z, because they are now asking questions. And anyone who asks questions, this government defames, intimidates, crushes. But listen up, Mr. Modi – this very youth, this Gen-Z, will shatter your arrogance,” Gandhi added.Senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh also criticised the board over the OSM system irregularities, alleging that the process resulted in blurry sheets, mismatched booklets and incorrect assessments, along with “delays in payments, and exorbitant re-evaluation fees demanded from students.”Rmesh’s post on X also emphasised that grade 12 pass percentage had dropped from 88% to 85%, inquiring why the board did not anticipate technical problems before rolling out the system.According to the HT report, CBSE’s overall grade 12 pass percentage fell to 85.2% this year, as opposed to last year’s 88.39%, the lowest since 2019.“The [education] minister owes the nation their resignation to the Prime Minister, and the Prime Minister owes the nation an answer as to why these ministers – who are openly ruining the futures of India’s students through their incompetence – have been allowed to remain in office for such an extended period,” he added.AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal also called for the resignation of Union education minister, Dharmendra Pradhan, and alleged that the evaluation and re-evaluation process has caused immense stress for students and parents across the country.CBSE evaluation में इतने बड़े स्तर पर हुई गड़बड़ी ने लाखों बच्चों का भविष्य अंधकार में डाल दिया है।पहले NEET और अब CBSEप्रधानमंत्री जी तुरंत शिक्षा मंत्री को बर्खास्त करें। pic.twitter.com/DBt1WJwnlg— Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) May 25, 2026Cockroach Janta Party, a recently-formed satirical political outfit, has also expressed support for Vedant and other similarly struggling students, demanding Pradhan’s resignation.We stand with Vedant. All he has done is expose the mismanagement in #CBSE exams.Education Minister must resign! pic.twitter.com/Pyi8iE5MlT— The Cockroach India Youth (@TheCockroanm) May 26, 2026In response to the mounting pressure, Pradhan announced that professors and technical experts from the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) would assist CBSE in resolving the glitches.