Singh, a 1996-batch IAS officer of the Bihar cadre, had taken charge as Chairperson of the CBSE in March 2024. The decision to transfer him was communicated through an official notification issued by the Department of Personnel & Training (DoPT).

Singh is being replaced by Lokhande Prashant Sitaram, a 2001-batch IAS officer of AGMUT cadre, who currently holds the post of Additional Secretary in the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA).

The DoPT, in a combined order, said, “The Appointments Committee of Cabinet has approved the appointment of Rahul Singh, IAS (BH: 1996), the Chairperson, the Central Board of Secondary Education, Ministry of Education, as Additional Secretary, Department of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare, Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare.”

In another paragraph, the order said, “The Appointments Committee of Cabinet has approved the appointment of Lokhande Prashant Sitaram, IAS (AGMUT: 2001), the Additional Secretary, Department of Home, Ministry of Home Affairs, as Chairperson, Central Board of Secondary Education, Ministry of Education vice Rahul Singh, IAS (BH: 1996), in the rank and pay of Additional Secretary.”

In a separate order, the government also removed Gupta, a 2012-batch IAS officer of AGMUT cadre, and transferred him to his parent cadre, the MHA, on administrative grounds with the condition of ‘extended cooling off’, as he will be eligible for another central deputation after 12 December 20230.

In the same order, the government said Gupta would be replaced by Varun Bhardwaj, a 2008-batch Indian Information Service (IIS) officer, who currently holds the post of Director in the Department of Higher Education, Ministry of Education.

Singh served as the chief executive of CBSE, tasked with overseeing the board’s overall functioning and administration, while Gupta was the CBSE’s Secretary and chief administrative officer, handling legal matters, audit, and public relations.

Escalating Controversy

The development came amid an escalating controversy over the CBSE’s newly introduced OSM system. Amid a mounting backlash, the CBSE on Tuesday opened a re-evaluation portal for students.

Meanwhile, the government has also constituted a one-member committee to inquire into matters related to the procurement of services for the OSM system by the CBSE.

“The committee shall be chaired by S. Radha Chauhan, Chairperson, the Capacity Building Commission (CBC), who will be empowered to obtain the assistance of officers from other offices. The CBSE will also provide secretarial assistance to the committee.

The committee will submit a report on the matter within 30 days to the DoPT.

The OSM digital evaluation mechanism was introduced by the CBSE this year for Class 12 board exams. Under the system, evaluators assessed scanned copies of answer sheets instead of physical answer books.

After the declaration of results, students across social media began alleging discrepancies in marking and answer-sheet evaluation, ranging from unchecked answers and incorrect totals to blurred scans.