The Government of India has approved the premature repatriation of CBSE Secretary Himanshu Gupta and appointed Varun Bhardwaj as the new Secretary of the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE).

According to an Office Memorandum issued by the Department of Personnel and Training on June 2, the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet approved the proposal of the Department of School Education and Literacy to repatriate Gupta, an AGMUT cadre IAS officer, to his parent cadre on administrative grounds. The order also stipulates an extended cooling-off period, making him eligible for central deputation only after December 12, 2030.

Bhardwaj, an Indian Information Service officer of the 2008 batch, has been appointed as CBSE Secretary at Director level under the Central Staffing Scheme on a lateral shift basis. He was previously serving as Director in the Department of Higher Education under the Ministry of Education. His tenure will continue until September 19, 2027.

The leadership change comes amid increased scrutiny of CBSE’s examination and evaluation processes, including digital assessment systems, on-screen marking and post-result grievance handling.

The Office Memorandum has been circulated to the Prime Minister’s Office, Cabinet Secretariat, Ministry of Education, Ministry of Home Affairs and other government departments.

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