CBSE answer-sheet row: Vendor denies tech failure, blames scanning error

3 min readMumbaiUpdated: Jun 18, 2026 02:05 PM IST

Addressing concerns over blurred images and illegible handwriting in scanned copies, Coempt said such cases were being reviewed in coordination with evaluation authorities.

Coempt Edu Teck, the Hyderabad-based company at the centre of the controversy over the CBSE’s On-Screen Marking (OSM) system, has denied allegations of technological failures and security lapses, asserting that recent complaints stemmed from isolated operational issues rather than flaws in its software or infrastructure.

In a communication issued amid continuing scrutiny of the answer-sheet evaluation system, the company said an incident in which a student allegedly received another candidate’s answer sheet was traced to the physical scanning process and not to any software malfunction. “We have identified the location and the individual who conducted the scanning. We have verified 100 per cent that, technologically, there is no error in this case,” the company said.

The clarification comes after complaints by students regarding access to scanned answer sheets and questions over the quality of images available through the system.

Addressing concerns over blurred images and illegible handwriting in scanned copies, Coempt said such cases were being reviewed in coordination with evaluation authorities. The company also rejected allegations that tender conditions had been modified to accommodate substandard hardware. “The scanners used by Coempt are standard, industry-grade models utilised across the sector. We upgrade our hardware year-on-year and the scanning resolution is perfect,” it said.

The company further claimed that answer sheets had already been delivered to nearly 95 per cent of students who had applied for access, despite what it described as isolated bottlenecks.

Responding to concerns raised after a 19-year-old ethical hacker reported vulnerabilities in the platform, Coempt said the individual had accessed only a server used for testing purposes and not any production system handling student data. According to the company, the server contained dummy tests, was intended for internal use and had public access. It maintained that no student data or technical infrastructure had been compromised and that its operational systems remained secure.

The company also referred to the 2019 Telangana Intermediate examination controversy, which has resurfaced in recent discussions around its track record. Coempt said the matter had been examined by courts and that the Supreme Court had declined pleas seeking mass re-evaluation, compensation and criminal action against the technology provider.

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Coempt currently provides examination-related services, including digitisation, on-screen marking, AI-assisted evaluation and question-paper management, to more than 35 universities and institutions across the country.