Mandeep K Bhandari Appointed CBSE Chairperson After OSM Controversy
Mandeep K Bhandari, Principal Secretary to the J&K Lieutenant Governor, has been named CBSE chairperson, replacing interim chief Lokhande Prashant Sitaram.
The Centre has appointed Mandeep K Bhandari as the chairperson of the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE), which functions under the Ministry of Education. He takes over from Lokhande Prashant Sitaram, who had been holding additional charge of the post.
Bhandari was serving as Principal Secretary to the Lieutenant Governor of Jammu and Kashmir before his new assignment. His appointment makes him the third person to lead the board in four months, a churn that follows the On-Screen Marking (OSM) controversy that drew nationwide attention earlier in 2026.
The board's first full-scale rollout of OSM for evaluating Class 12 answer sheets triggered widespread complaints from students and parents. The concerns included alleged mismatches in scanned answer sheets, blurred or missing pages, technical problems on the portals, and difficulties during verification and re-evaluation. The episode led to leadership changes at the board and an official inquiry into the digital evaluation system, with the then-CBSE chief transferred to the agriculture ministry.
Who is Mandeep K Bhandari?
A 2001-batch officer of the AGMUT cadre, Bhandari brings more than two decades of administrative experience. He is a gold medalist MBBS graduate from Dayanand Medical College, Ludhiana.
His postings have included Deputy Commissioner of Leh, Deputy Commissioner of Jammu, Divisional Commissioner of Jammu, and CEO of the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board. He has also handled the health and medical education portfolio in Jammu and Kashmir, and earlier served as Private Secretary to the Union Human Resource Development Minister and as Joint Secretary in the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
Bhandari assumes office as the CBSE continues efforts to strengthen its examination and evaluation mechanisms and rebuild trust among students, parents, and schools. His administrative and public service experience is expected to support the board in addressing these challenges and ensuring the smooth functioning of one of India's largest school examination systems.