Telangana Inter Fiasco Firm Coempt Now Linked to CBSE OSM Row

Questions over the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE)’s new digital evaluation system widened after the ongoing On-Screen Marking (OSM) controversy was linked to a Hyderabad-based company involved in the 2019 Telangana Intermediate results fiasco.

The issue escalated on Wednesday after Rahul Gandhi, in a post on X, alleged that “the company COEMPT” had previously operated as Globarena and was linked to the Telangana Intermediate controversy of 2019. “Name changed, but the company remained the same,” he wrote, questioning how the firm was entrusted with responsibilities connected to a national examination process despite its past record.

The controversy began after students and evaluators reported issues with CBSE’s On-Screen Marking (OSM) system introduced for Class XII board evaluations this year. Complaints ranged from answer-sheet mismatches and blurred scans to technical glitches during evaluation. Matters intensified after cybersecurity researcher Nisarga Adhikary alleged in a blog that loopholes in the portal could have allowed unauthorised access and even alteration of marks. CBSE later clarified that the portal examined was only a test environment and not the live system.

While Gandhi called for a Special Investigation Team (SIT) and judicial probe, questioning whether due diligence was conducted before awarding the contract, CBSE responded within hours.

“CBSE rejects the allegations regarding the award of contract to Coempt Edutech. It is erroneous, misleading and not based on facts,” the Board said in a statement posted on X. It added that the contract was awarded following General Financial Rules, with the Request for Proposal (RFP) for digital evaluation floated on August 28, 2025, on the Central Public Procurement portal.

However, the wording of the clarification has itself become part of the debate. While CBSE denied allegations regarding the award of the contract to Coempt Edutech, it did not publicly identify the final bidder or detail the vendor structure behind the OSM system. Notably, OSM is listed on Coempt Edutech’s official website.

Questions regarding Coempt’s links to Globarena stem from corporate records, which indicate continuity between Globarena Technologies Private Limited, Globarena iTeknowledge Private Limited and Coempt Edu Teck Private Limited through a shared corporate lineage.

Globarena Technologies came under scrutiny in 2019 during the Telangana Intermediate results controversy, when thousands of students reported discrepancies in marks, missing scores and absentee markings despite appearing for exams. Around three lakh students reportedly applied for reverification and recounting. Multiple reports linked nearly 20 student suicides to the fallout, though direct causation remained disputed.

A government inquiry later reportedly held both the Telangana State Board of Intermediate Education and the private firm responsible to varying degrees. The company again came under scrutiny in 2023 after Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University Hyderabad (JNTU-H) shortlisted Coempt Edu Teck along with Magnetic Infotech for digital evaluation-related work. JNTU-H subsequently dropped Globarena/Coempt and proceeded with Magnetic Infotech.

Despite ongoing criminal proceedings linked to the 2019 controversy, the company was reportedly never blacklisted.

Venkat Sainath of the Hyderabad Parents Association said parents were disturbed by the developments. “They are playing with an entire generation. How can an agency that failed at the state level be given responsibility at the national level? CBSE needs to give clarity and undo the damage,” he said.

While no publicly available CBSE contract document naming Coempt as the final vendor has surfaced so far, the Board has not clarified whether the company has any direct, indirect or subcontracted role in the current OSM system. However, cybersecurity researchers, including Adhikary, have claimed that a hardcoded credential allegedly found in JavaScript code contained the term ‘Coempt’.