RBSE 5th and 8th results 2026 released

RBSE Class 5th and 8th result 2026: The Rajasthan Board has declared the Class 5 and Class 8 results 2026 today, March 24, following completion of the evaluation process. The results have been released online, allowing students to access their provisional scorecards through official portals.A total of more than 26 lakh students appeared for the examinations this year. The results include detailed performance data, pass percentages and supplementary figures for both classes.Class 5 result sees high pass percentageFor Class 5, a total of 13,68,947 students appeared in the examination conducted across 18,621 centres. Out of these, 13,23,936 students have passed, taking the overall pass percentage to 97.75 per cent.The pass percentage among boys stood at 97.59 per cent, while girls recorded a higher pass percentage of 97.94 per cent, marking a difference of 0.35 per cent. A total of 30,640 students have been placed in the supplementary category.Class 8 performance and statisticsIn Class 8, the examination was conducted at 10,056 centres, with 12,86,220 students appearing. Of these, 12,45,735 students have passed, resulting in an overall pass percentage of 97.01 per cent.The pass percentage for boys was recorded at 96.52 per cent, while girls achieved 97.57 per cent, showing a difference of 1.05 per cent. A total of 38,276 students have been placed in the supplementary category.Where and how to check resultsStudents can check their results on official websites including rajshaladarpan.rajasthan.gov.in, rajpsp.nic.in, rajshaladarpan.nic.in, rajeduboard.rajasthan.gov.in and rajresults.nic.in.To access the scorecard, students need to enter details such as class, roll number, district, application number or school NIC-SD code or PSP code, along with captcha verification. The result will display subject-wise marks, total score and qualifying status.• Direct link to check and download the Rajasthan Board Class 5th and 8th result 2026Passing criteria and next stepsStudents are required to secure at least 33 per cent marks in each subject and overall to qualify. For Class 8, the board follows a grading system, where a grade of ‘D’ or above is considered a pass.Students placed in the supplementary category will be given an opportunity to appear for re-examinations. Those who qualify will be promoted to the next academic level, with Class 5 students moving to Class 6 and Class 8 students advancing to Class 9.Grading system and qualifying marksThe Rajasthan Board follows a grading system for Class 8 students, categorising performance into different grade levels. Students must secure at least 33 per cent in each subject and overall to qualify. A grade of ‘D’ or above is considered a pass.Students placed in the supplementary category will be given another opportunity to improve their performance through re-examinations conducted by the board.Previous year performance and next stepsIn the previous academic session, the Class 5 pass percentage stood at around 97.30 per cent, while Class 8 recorded approximately 95.72 per cent. Over 13.3 lakh students appeared for Class 5, with more than 12.9 lakh clearing the examination.Students who qualify will be promoted to the next academic level, with Class 5 students moving to Class 6 and Class 8 students advancing to Class 9. In case of discrepancies in the marksheet, students can contact their respective schools or board authorities for correction.

US president Donald Trump spoke with Pakistan army chief Asim Munir earlier this week as Islamabad is attempting to position itself as a key mediator in the ongoing US-Israel-Iran conflict. Meanwhile, Pakistani prime minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif held a separate call with Iranian president Masoud Pezeshkian on Monday, according to officials familiar with the discussions.The talks coincided with Trump’s announcement of a five-day suspension of his threat to strike Iran’s power plants, following what he described as “very good and productive” conversations with Tehran aimed at ending the war. The White House, however, cautioned that no formal negotiations are underway and nothing is concrete as of yet. “These are sensitive diplomatic discussions and the United States will not negotiate through the news media,” it said. While Trump’s posts on Truth Social temporarily pushed oil prices down, it remains unclear if Pakistan’s mediation efforts were directly linked to the market movement. Analysts note that the conflict and stalled diplomatic channels continue to keep the region on edge.

Pakistan offers Islamabad as potential venue

Two officials familiar with the talks told Financial Times Pakistan has offered its capital as a venue for discussions between senior US figures, including US vice president JD Vance, Trump’s envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, and Iranian officials.“While sharing with the Iranian President the diplomatic outreach efforts of Pakistan’s leadership, the prime minister assured the Iranian leadership that Pakistan would continue to play a constructive role in facilitating peace,” Pakistan said in a readout of the call.

Regional powers engage behind the scenes

Other regional players are also working to de-escalate tensions. Turkey, which had been involved in mediation before the war, has held talks with Iranian officials and Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff to secure a temporary ceasefire. Pakistan’s foreign minister Ishaq Dar spoke with Turkish counterpart Hakan Fidan on Monday, while Egypt’s foreign minister Badr Abdelatty held separate conversations with his Iranian and Pakistani counterparts over the weekend.Iran, however, denied direct negotiations with the US. “Over the past few days, messages were received via certain friendly states conveying the US request for negotiations to end the war,” Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei told official news agency IRNA, according to FT.“Appropriate responses were given [to those initiatives] in accordance with the country’s fundamental positions.” He added that Iran’s stance on the Strait of Hormuz and its conditions for ending the conflict remain unchanged.

Experts remain skeptical

Analysts caution that early-stage backchannel messaging does not guarantee a breakthrough. Sanam Vakil from Chatham House told FT, “It’s positive to play out what a compromise and agreement might look like, but I don’t see a willingness on either side to compromise. I don’t think Trump can walk away from this crisis of his making. And I just don’t see Iran caving. They feel they have the upper hand and the leverage, this is again about their survival and the conditions that will assure their survival.”Past mediation efforts, often facilitated by Oman and Qatar, stalled after the US and Israel launched the war just two days following a round of talks between the Trump administration and Iranian officials in Geneva. Officials said senior Pakistani officials have been back-channeling communications between Tehran and US envoys, ensuring ongoing dialogue.

Pakistan’s dilemma

Pakistan’s position is strengthened by its geopolitical standing. It hosts no US military bases and has largely been spared Iranian missile and drone strikes, making it an intermediary for both sides. Islamabad also has the world’s second-largest Shia population after Iran and maintains close ties with Gulf states, including a defence pact with Saudi Arabia.The defence pact with Riyadh is another contention for Islamabad to deal with. According to the pact it supposedly considers attack on one as attack on all, similar to Nato’s article 5, but the specifics of the deal remain vague. Ever since the war in the Middle East began Islamabad has pursued cautious diplomacy, condemning the strikes on Iran, while simultaneously urging de-escalation. But analysts warn it cannot remain insulated from competing pressures.However, the country remains highly dependent on oil and gas imports from the Gulf, making stability in the region crucial. Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei even acknowledged Pakistan in a message for the Iranian New Year, saying he has a special feeling toward the people of Pakistan.While Trump has paused immediate military threats and Iran maintains a firm stance, Pakistan’s mediation efforts illustrate the limited channels available for conflict de-escalation.

Supreme Court (File photo)

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Tuesday held that the denial of Permanent Commission (PC) to women Short Service Commission (SSC) officers in the armed forces stemmed from a flawed and discriminatory evaluation system, particularly in the way their performance was assessed.A bench of Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and Justices Ujjal Bhuyan and N Kotiswar Singh, while delivering its verdict, observed that the Annual Confidential Reports (ACRs) of women officers were often assessed casually, undermining their chances of securing PC.“ACRs of appellants were written with presumption that they will not undergo career progression. Adversely affected overall merit,” the bench noted as per Live Law.“Model was rational, non-discriminatory and implemented as 1 time measure. Failure of respondents to disclose evaluation criteria etc. has adversely impacted officers,” the bench futher said.The ruling comes after a prolonged legal battle in which women officers challenged the criteria used to evaluate them, arguing that it placed them at a disadvantage compared to their male counterparts.During earlier hearings, the Centre had denied allegations of bias. It also submitted that following its 2022 approval, women officers are now being inducted through the National Defence Academy, and those completing training will be granted PC directly.While reserving its verdict earlier, the bench led by Chief Justice Surya Kant was informed by Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati that structural changes had already been initiated to address gender disparities in the forces.The court, however, remained critical of the evaluation process. During hearings, it questioned why women and men were assessed differently despite undergoing the same training and assignments.“How can there be two criteria based on gender? Is there a different format for evaluating SSC women officers and male officers? Is this format different for SSC officers and those in permanent commission?” the bench had asked.Senior advocate Menaka Guruswamy, appearing for 13 women officers, argued that their ACRs were graded casually and, in some cases, frozen before they became eligible for PC in 2020. In contrast, male officers continued to be assessed with PC in mind.She pointed to the service records of officers such as Lt Col Vanita Padhi, Lt Col Chandni Mishra and Lt Col Geeta Sharma, who had served in United Nations missions, high-altitude areas and counter-insurgency operations. Despite holding key operational roles, including ‘criteria appointments’ in difficult areas, their contributions were not fully recognised in their evaluation reports, unlike similar postings held by male officers.The court noted that such differential treatment could violate constitutional guarantees of equality under Articles 14 and 15, and may reflect entrenched biases within the system. Guruswamy also submitted that several women officers were denied pension and medical benefits proportionate to their service conditions.The petitioners relied on the Supreme Court’s 2020 judgment, which had directed the Army to grant PC to women officers and held that excluding them from command roles was unjustified and hindered career progression.Since then, the court has passed multiple orders expanding the scope of PC for women across the Army, Navy, Air Force and Coast Guard.The matter had also involved submissions from serving and retired officers, as the court examined similar concerns across different branches of the armed forces.

Global oil prices moved higher on Tuesday, recovering from a sharp drop in the previous session, as concerns over an escalation in the Middle East conflict and uncertainty around US-Iran diplomacy keeps the markets volatile.Brent crude climbed toward $104 a barrel, while US benchmark West Texas Intermediate rose nearly 4%, reversing part of Monday’s steep decline triggered by US president Donald Trump delaying potential strikes on Iran’s energy infrastructure, according to Bloomberg. Market sentiment remains driven by mixed messaging from Washington and Tehran. Trump had said there were “productive” talks with Iran and suggested oil prices could “fall like a rock” if a deal is reached. However, Iran has denied any negotiations.Adding to uncertainty, Iranian deputy parliament speaker Ali Nikzad ruled out talks with the US and indicated the Strait of Hormuz would not return to normal operations, according to Fars news agency.

Strait of Hormuz disruptions tighten supply outlook

The Strait of Hormuz continues to be the focal point for global energy markets. The key oil transit route has seen severely reduced traffic, forcing Gulf producers to cut millions of barrels of daily output.Although a limited number of vessels have exited the Persian Gulf in recent days, most shipping remains stalled, keeping supply tight and supporting prices.Crude has surged over 40% this month amid fears of prolonged disruption, with refined products like diesel and jet fuel rising even faster, adding pressure on consumers and governments.Concerns have also grown over potential escalation, with a Wall Street Journal report indicating that US allies in the Gulf, including Saudi Arabia, may be moving closer to joining the conflict.At the same time, Israel has continued strikes, while reports of damage to gas facilities in Iran’s Isfahan region have added to supply worries.Analysts say markets are likely to remain sensitive to both geopolitical developments and actual supply flows.“It is unclear how far back-channel talks have progressed or if the IRGC is in any mood to settle at this stage when they remain in firm control of the Strait of Hormuz,” RBC Capital Markets analysts said, adding, “Ships, not soundbites, will likely be what ultimately matters for physical markets.”Goldman Sachs’ Daan Struyven told Bloomberg TV, “If this shock lasts longer, this extreme tightness that’s now concentrated in Middle East and Asia would spread,” warning that demand destruction may eventually be needed to rebalance supply.Oil markets have seen sharp swings in recent sessions, with prices still up over 30% this month despite Monday’s decline. Analysts note that repeated shifts in US messaging and uncertainty around diplomacy have left investors cautious.With negotiations unclear and supply disruptions ongoing, traders are closely tracking developments around the Strait of Hormuz, which remains central to global oil flows.(With inputs from agencies)