New Delhi: The Cockroach Janta Party on Saturday called off its 36-day agitation after Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan resigned and the government accepted its other demands, a momentous win for the unprecedented youth-led movement that galvanised lakhs of people over irregularities in exams and the NEET paper leak.
Pradhan announced his resignation in a statement, saying the developments of the past 10 days had “saddened” him deeply and that the issue was “not a matter of personal prestige”.
Noting that he did not want “anti-national forces” to exploit the situation, Pradhan said he wanted to ensure that “the unity of the nation remains intact”, “the future of even a single student should not become entangled in legal complications” and that students devote their time to studies and building their careers.
“Keeping all these considerations in mind, I have sent my resignation to the Hon’ble Prime Minister,” he said.
Soon after Pradhan’s announcement, the CJP declared that it was withdrawing its agitation after the government agreed to all its remaining demands, including compensation for the families of students who allegedly died by suicide following the NEET paper leak and withdrawal of FIRs against protesters.
The announcement came after the third round of talks between the two sides at the Constitution Club of India here, where Union ministers J P Nadda and Jitendra Singh met CJP representatives Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka.
Addressing a joint press conference with the CJP leadership, Nadda said the government would provide “honourable compensation” within the rules to the families of students who committed suicide after the NEET examination controversy and ensure the withdrawal of all FIRs registered against protesters.
“As the government accepted all our demands, we call off our protests with immediate effect. We appeal everyone to go back home peacefully,” Das said.
Jubilant scenes erupted at Jantar Mantar and chants of “Hum Jeet Gaye” (We have won) rang out across the protest site after Pradhan resigned.
As the celebrations continued, authorities began overseeing the winding down of the demonstration, urging protesters to disperse peacefully, while the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) reopened all entry and exit gates at nearby stations to facilitate their movement.
Pradhan’s resignation marked a significant climbdown for the Narendra Modi government, which had initially dismissed the agitation before gradually opening channels of dialogue with the protesters.
Pradhan is only the second Union minister during Modi’s tenure as PM since 2014 to resign following sustained public controversy. The first was M J Akbar, who stepped down as minister of state for external affairs in 2018 after sexual harassment allegations surfaced against him during the #MeToo movement.
Pradhan’s resignation is among the few occasions since 2014 that the Modi government has yielded to sustained public or political pressure – the decision in 2015 to shelve the proposed amendments to the land acquisition law and the repeal of the three farm laws in 2021 being two major retreats.
The protests were spearheaded by the CJP, a platform launched by former AAP functionary Abhijeet Dipke as a satirical online campaign in May before it evolved into a nationwide youth movement centred on demands for accountability over the NEET paper leak.
The agitation began at Jantar Mantar on June 20 but acquired national momentum after activist Sonam Wangchuk joined it on June 28 and undertook an indefinite fast with six AISA activists. Wangchuk ended his fast on Thursday night after the Centre’s outreach to him.
The government’s first formal engagement with the CJP leadership came on July 20 at Nadda’s residence, even as police cracked down on protesters marching towards Parliament, an action that became a turning point in the agitation and swelled support for the movement.
A second round of discussions was held on Friday after the Centre accepted the CJP’s demand that the venue be shifted from a minister’s residence to a neutral venue.
Wangchuk’s forcible removal from Jantar Mantar to Safdarjung Hospital by police on July 18 had also triggered widespread outrage and broadened support for the agitation.
Reacting to Pradhan’s resignation, Wangchuk described it as “a victory of democracy, direct democracy… straight from the streets”.
“It is a victory of peace, patience and perseverance,” he said, congratulating the CJP, Gen Z and citizens “for shedding fear and the fear of fear and rising up from every corner of the nation”.
At Jantar Mantar, protesters erupted in celebration as news of the resignation broke. They danced, waved the tricolour and embraced each other while songs such as “Chak De India” played in the background. Many held portraits of B R Ambedkar, calling the resignation a victory for the movement.
Addressing the jubilant gathering, Dipke said, “We have b***** done it. Pradhan’s resignation is proof that if you don’t get scared, you can win.”
“They used to say that this government does not see resignations. We say the world bends if there is someone who can make it bend,” he said.
Dipke also thanked Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, whose “cockroaches” remark about unemployed youth had triggered the movement.
“If you had not called us ‘cockroaches’, I would not have returned to India. If you had not called us ‘cockroaches’, the youth of the country would not have come out on the streets. If you had not called us ‘cockroaches’, Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation would not have happened,” he said.
Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi, who had led a dharna of Congress leaders outside the PM’s residence on July 21 demanding Pradhan’s resignation, said two demands still remained pending — action against those responsible for alleged atrocities on protesting students and an apology from Prime Minister Narendra Modi to students.
“Daro mat (don’t be afraid). Let’s get rid of this regime that is attacking India, destroying our Constitution, capturing all our institutions,” he said. Speaking to reporters outside 10 Janpath later in the day, Gandhi alleged that Union Home Minister Amit Shah was “directly responsible” for the violence against students, accusing him of authorising the use of “lethal weapons” and pellet guns against protesters.
“We will not accept security forces shooting at students. This will be our major issue in Parliament,” he said.
The BJP, however, defended Pradhan, with party president Nitin Nabin saying his decision reflected “the highest standards” of integrity and selfless service.
“As Union education minister, he played a pivotal role in reforming India’s education landscape and implementing the landmark National Education Policy. Prioritising larger interests, his decision to step down reflects the highest standards of integrity and selfless service in public life. The party stands firmly with Shri Dharmendra Pradhan Ji,” Nabin said in a post on X.
Pradhan’s resignation came a day after the Centre announced a series of measures to address concerns over examination irregularities, including a proposed law prescribing stringent punishment for those involved in paper leaks and the setting up of fast-track courts for speedy trials.
Pralhad Joshi appointed as Education Minister
Union Minister Prahlad Joshi has been appointed as Education Minister following Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation from the post on Saturday.
Joshi has been given additional charge of the Education Ministry besides his role as Consumer Affairs Minister.
A Rashtrapati Bhavan communique said the President, as advised by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has accepted the resignation of Pradhan with immediate effect.
It said that on the advice of the Prime Minister, the President has directed that Joshi, Cabinet Minister, be assigned the charge of the Ministry of Education, in addition to his own duties.
Earlier in the day, Pradhan resigned from his post following the Cockroach Janta Party-led student protests across the country, demanding his ouster over the NEET paper leak controversy.
Pradhan said it is not a matter of “individual prestige” for him and he is disturbed to see the series of events that have unfolded in the last 10 days.
Fast track courts to hear paper leak cases on daily basis; New bill in Lok Sabha on Monday
Seeking to amend a two-year-old anti-paper leak law, a bill that proposes to set up fast-track courts in every state for speedy trials of accused and enhances punishment is set for introduction in the Lok Sabha on Monday.
According to the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Amendment Bill, 2026, investigations into paper leak cases are to be completed within two months.
The bill circulated to the Lok Sabha members ahead of its introduction says that individuals involved in paper leaks or unfair means in exams will get jail terms for a minimum of 5 years and a maximum of 10 years, and a fine of up to Rs 50 lakh.
For organised crimes, the bill proposes a minimum sentence of seven years and a fine of up to Rs 10 crore.
The present law has provisions for a minimum of three to five years of imprisonment to curb cheating and those involved in organised crimes of cheating face five to 10 years of imprisonment and a minimum fine of Rs 1 crore.
The bill has been listed for introduction, consideration and passage for Monday in the Lok Sabha. Bills are usually not listed for introduction and passage on the same day.
The government announced it was bringing in the proposed legislation after student protests led by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) over the NEET paper leak issue gained momentum in recent days.
Protests by opposition parties over the NEET issue led to a washout of proceedings in the first session of Parliament. The Opposition’s stand on the new bill is still not clear, with Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi saying they will act on the basis of consensus.
The 2024 law was brought in when the government faced raging paper leak controversies. Before this legislation, there was no specific substantive law to deal with unfair means adopted or offences committed by various entities involved in the conduct of public examinations by the central government and its agencies.
The Act aimed to prevent unfair means in the public examinations conducted by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC), the Staff Selection Commission (SSC), the railways, banking recruitment examinations and the National Testing Agency (NTA), among others.
All the states and UTs will be directed to set up fast-track courts, which will conduct hearings swiftly and complete the trial within three months of filing of the chargesheet, says the bill, which was cleared by the Union Cabinet on Friday.
In the wake of student protests, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had promised a law to deal with cases like the NEET-UG paper leak. He also said that cases of accused in such cases will be tried in fast-track courts.
The CJP on Saturday called off its 36-day agitation after Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan resigned and the government accepted its other demands.
The Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, 2024, which the bill proposes to amend, was enacted to prevent resorting to unfair means in public examinations.
The bill notes that in recent years, there have been some incidents of question paper leaks and malpractices in examinations conducted by public examination authorities, “which tend to affect the transparency and fairness of the public examinations system”.
The amendment bill seeks to empower all the state governments and UT administrations to designate any court of session to be a special fast-track court to try offences under the proposed law.
It also provides that the proceedings in such courts are continued on a day-to-day basis and the trial is completed within three months from the date of filing of the chargesheet.
It also empowers the central government to constitute a special task force for investigation of any offence, if necessary.
The bill had provisions for “engagement of services of other government agencies by public examination authority”, “preparation of norms, standards and guidelines” and “reporting of incidents of unfair means or offences” among others.
Pre-examination activities such as pre-audit for the examination readiness of the public examination centres, candidate check-in, biometric registration, security and screening, seat allocation, question paper setting and loading, invigilation in the examination, post-examination activities and guidelines for providing scribes were also part of the norms.
The Bill outlines 15 illegal acts including leaking question papers, tampering with OMR sheets, creating fake websites and issuing fake admit cards.
J&K political parties describe Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation as victory for youth
Political parties in Kashmir on Saturday welcomed the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, describing it as a victory for the country’s youth.
Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister and PDP president Mehbooba Mufti said Pradhan’s resignation was a victory for the youth who remained hungry and thirsty but did not indulge in violence.
“I think it’s a victory for the youth of India. The youth who stood there for so many days, hungry and thirsty, absolutely did not indulge in any violence,” Mehbooba told reporters here.
She said Mahatma Gandhi’s India is reclaiming its space now.
“The youth who don’t believe in division, who don’t believe in Hindu-Muslim, who don’t believe in polarisation, they have preserved the idea of India in this country. I think Indian youth have shown that the idea of India, Gandhi’s India, is still alive and thriving. I am happy that we Kashmiris, who are called anti-national, who are called separatists — the way they called us there — they welcomed us. I have a hope that the idea of India is alive, and Indian youth are this country’s new future,” she said. The PDP chief said Pradhan’s resignation is the first step towards reclaiming what India should look like.
Asked if J-K people should also get their rights back, Mehbooba said they should receive more than just their basic rights. “They have lost a lot. I think our youth who participated in this protest helped the country’s youth. Now it’s the turn of the youth of the country to take up our issues also,” she said.
National Conference (NC) chief spokesperson Tanvir Sadiq said it was the victory of every single student who came out to speak for their rights. “I think it is a good thing that the students of this country have been heard. I feel this is their victory, and it is a victory for every single student who came out and spoke up for their rights,” Sadiq told reporters here.
He said it is also a tribute to all those who sacrificed their lives over the issue.
“I salute every one of those students who want the education system to improve,” he said.
The NC state spokesperson said the Centre should understand the youth’s concerns and heed their demands as soon as possible. He said the protest was organic, and everyone supported it.
Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee chief Tariq Hameed Karra congratulated the country’s youth, stating it was the victory of truth and the collective voice of lakhs of students.
“I congratulate the country’s youth for their determined and democratic struggle. Today’s developments are a victory of truth, persistence, and the collective voice of lakhs of students and young aspirants,” Karra said in a statement.
He congratulated Rahul Gandhi, describing him as the torchbearer of democracy in an era where democratic institutions and dissent have come under increasing pressure. “Gandhi consistently stood with the youth, raised their concerns fearlessly, and refused to allow their voices to be silenced. The resignation of the Union Education Minister is self-explanatory. It is nothing but an admission that the Government failed despite every attempt to suppress the voice of lakhs of young Indians demanding accountability and justice. Truth has prevailed over arrogance,” Karra said.
He said the resignation marks the second major surrender of the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led Government to the people of the country.
“The first came when the Government was forced to withdraw the three farm laws after the historic farmers’ movement. Today, it has once again been compelled to bow before the united voice of the nation’s youth. This is a clear reflection of the failure of a Government that has repeatedly chosen confrontation over consultation,” he said.
Asserting that no government, however powerful, can silence the democratic aspirations of the people for long, the JKPCC president said that India’s youth have demonstrated that peaceful and determined democratic resistance remains the strongest force in a democracy.
