The Centre has appointed senior IAS officer Mandeep K. Bhandari as the new chairperson of the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE), making him the third officer to take charge of the national education board in less than four months.

Bhandari replaces Lokhande Prashant Sitaram, who had been holding the CBSE chairperson’s post on an additional-charge basis. The latest appointment comes amid the controversy surrounding CBSE’s On-Screen Marking (OSM) system.

An order issued on September 25 said the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC), under the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT), had approved Bhandari’s appointment.

The order stated that “Shri Mandeep K Bhandari, IAS (AGMUT:2001), presently in the cadre,” had been appointed chairperson of CBSE under the Ministry of Education in the rank and pay of an Additional Secretary to the Government of India. The post was temporarily upgraded for the appointment.

Who is Mandeep K. Bhandari?

Mandeep K. Bhandari is a 2001-batch IAS officer from the AGMUT cadre. He is from Punjab and holds an MBBS degree. Before taking charge as CBSE chairperson, Bhandari was serving as Principal Secretary to the Lieutenant Governor of Jammu and Kashmir. He also had the additional responsibility of Chief Executive Officer of the Shri Amarnathji Shrine Board.

Official records of the Jammu and Kashmir administration show that Bhandari was appointed Principal Secretary to the Lieutenant Governor on March 6, 2023.

His administrative experience also includes a long stint with the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board. He served as its Additional Chief Executive Officer for nearly a decade, from 2009 to 2018.

Bhandari’s experience in the Union government

Bhandari moved to the Union government in January 2018. He was appointed Private Secretary to the Union minister responsible for higher education in the Ministry of Human Resource Development, which is now known as the Ministry of Education. He remained in the position until September 2018. Bhandari was then appointed Joint Secretary in the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

Bhandari spent more than four years in the Health Ministry, serving from September 2018 until January 2023. During this period, he handled several policy and administrative responsibilities. His experience across the Union government and Jammu and Kashmir administration now brings him to the top position at CBSE.

Third CBSE chief since June

Bhandari’s appointment comes 85 days after the ACC issued an order on July 2 assigning Lokhande Prashant Sitaram the additional charge of CBSE chairperson.

At that time, Lokhande was serving as Additional Secretary in the Department of Home under the Union Home Ministry. He had been in that position since April 1.

The July 2 order stated that Lokhande would hold the additional charge of CBSE chairperson “until appointment of regular incumbent to the post or until further orders, whichever is earlier.”

Bhandari’s appointment now ends that temporary arrangement. Lokhande had himself taken over as CBSE chairperson only a month before receiving the additional-charge assignment. On June 2, the ACC had approved his regular appointment as “Chairperson, Central Board of Secondary Education” in the rank and pay of an Additional Secretary.

Unlike the July order, the June 2 notification described Lokhande’s appointment as a regular posting rather than an additional-charge arrangement.

CBSE leadership changes follow OSM controversy

The rapid changes at the top of CBSE have taken place against the backdrop of controversy over the board’s On-Screen Marking (OSM) system. On June 2, the government transferred then-CBSE chairperson Rahul Singh to the Agriculture Ministry. CBSE secretary Himanshu Gupta was also prematurely repatriated to his parent cadre, the Ministry of Home Affairs.

At the same time, Lokhande was appointed the new CBSE chief, while Varun Bhardwaj was named secretary. The government also ordered a one-member inquiry into the procurement of services linked to the OSM system. The inquiry was headed by former Union secretary S. Radha Chauhan. The panel was tasked with examining allegations of irregularities connected to the procurement and digital evaluation process.

Complaints over digital evaluation system

The leadership overhaul followed reports concerning CBSE’s On-Screen Marking system. Hindustan Times reported complaints from examiners and officials alleging problems in the digital evaluation process for the 2026 Class 12 board examinations.

The reported concerns included unexplained changes in marks that were allegedly linked to poor scanning of answer sheets. Examiners and officials also raised concerns about technical glitches and the procurement of services related to the OSM system.

The latest appointment of Bhandari places a new administrative head at CBSE as the board continues to deal with the issues surrounding its digital evaluation system.