# Senior IAS officer Mandeep Bhandari appointed CBSE chairperson 2026-09-26T01:41:25+00:00 | Governance | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 3 independent outlets Senior IAS officer Mandeep K Bhandari has been appointed chairperson of the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE), months after the board faced controversy over its On-Screen Marking (OSM) system. Bhandari, a 2001-batch IAS officer of the AGMUT cadre, is currently principal secretary to Jammu and Kashmir's lieutenant governor. The appointments committee of the Cabinet approved his appointment on September 25, according to the personnel department. The appointment follows the June removal of then CBSE chairperson Rahul Singh and secretary Himanshu Gupta amid complaints over the OSM system. Students reported blurred scans, missing pages, and answer sheets that did not match their records. The Times of India reports the government also ordered an inquiry into procurement of the digital evaluation system and CBSE lodged a complaint with Delhi Police over alleged cyberattacks on its post-result portal. NDTV reports Bhandari is a gold medalist MBBS graduate from Dayanand Medical College, Ludhiana. Bhandari has held several administrative positions in Jammu and Kashmir and at the Centre, including joint secretary in the health ministry and private secretary to the Union HRD minister. He takes charge as CBSE prepares for the 2026-27 academic and examination cycle, including the next Class X and Class XII exams. ## Indian Opinion Analysis All five sources report the same core facts in straight news style: the appointment, Bhandari's background, and the OSM controversy that led to the previous leadership's removal. None carries a partisan slant, the coverage is uniform neutral-report. The key difference is depth: Times of India and Business Today give the most detail on the OSM complaints and the June inquiry, while NDTV focuses on Bhandari's qualifications. The implication is that the appointment signals the government's intent to stabilise CBSE after the OSM row, but the real test will be how Bhandari handles the pending procurement inquiry and student grievances. The DoPT order itself is the only concrete next step. The OSM controversy saw complaints about scanned answer sheets, portal glitches, and a police complaint over cyberattacks. The government responded with an inquiry and a leadership change. The new chairperson's immediate task is to restore trust in the digital evaluation system before the next exam cycle. ## Coverage - timesofindia.indiatimes.com (neutral report) Detailed factual reporting of appointment and OSM issues - timesofindia.indiatimes.com (neutral report) Detailed factual reporting of appointment and OSM issues - ndtv.com (neutral report) Short announcement citing DoPT order - businesstoday.in (neutral report) Factual profile with career details and context - ndtv.com (neutral report) Short announcement citing DoPT order Tags: Appointments Committee of the Cabinet, CBSE, Mandeep K Bhandari, Ministry of Education, On-Screen Marking Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/mandeep-bhandari-appointed-new-cbse-chairperson-after-osm-row/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/mandeep-bhandari-appointed-new-cbse-chairperson-after-osm-row/#story-in-brief