Coempt Edu Teck, the Hyderabad-based company at the centre of the controversy over the Central Board of Secondary Education's (CBSE) 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. The company also said its records were open for examination and scrutiny by government bodies.
In a clarification issued amid continuing scrutiny of the answer-sheet evaluation system, Coempt 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.
Addressing concerns over blurred images and illegible handwriting in scanned copies, Coempt said such cases were being systematically reviewed in coordination with relevant 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,” the company said.
The firm maintained that answer sheets had already been successfully 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.
“It’s used for internal purposes, with dummy tests and has public access,” the company said.
The company asserted that no student data or technical infrastructure had been compromised and that its operational systems remained secure.
Coempt also referred to the 2019 Telangana Intermediate examination controversy, which has resurfaced in recent discussions around its track record. The company 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.
The OSM service provider has come under fire after alleged irregularities and vulnerabilities were reported in the system used for evaluating Class 12 answer sheets.
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, processing nearly two crore answer booklets annually.