NEW DELHI, JUL 25 (PTI): 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 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 CJP leadership, Nadda said the government would provide “honourable compensation” within the rules to 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 on Saturday as chants of “Hum Jeet Gaye” (We have won) rang out across the protest site after Pradhan resigned.
Pradhan’s resignation marked a significant climbdown for 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 MJ Akbar, who stepped down as minister of state for external affairs in 2018 after sexual harassment allegations surfaced against him during #MeToo movement.
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.
Anti-paper leak Bill to be tabled in Lok Sabha on Monday: Centre
NEW DELHI, JUL 25 (PTI): Centre will introduce the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Amendment Bill, 2026 in the Lok Sabha on Monday, proposing fast-track courts in every state, tougher penalties and time-bound investigation and trial in paper leak cases.
The bill, listed for introduction, consideration and passage, mandates completion of investigations within two months. Designated fast-track courts will hold day-to-day hearings and conclude trials within three months of filing of the chargesheet.
It proposes increasing punishment for paper leaks and other unfair means to five to 10 years’ imprisonment and a fine of up to Rs.50 lakh. Organised crimes will attract a minimum seven-year jail term and a fine of up to Rs.10 crore. Currently, paper leaks carry three to five years’ imprisonment, while organised crimes attract five to 10 years in jail and a minimum Rs.1 crore fine.
It empowers the Centre to form a special task force to investigate offences and authorises states and Union Territories to designate Sessions Courts as fast-track courts.
The bill also mandates reporting of unfair means, prescribes examination security norms, including biometric registration, and lists 15 offences such as leaking question papers, tampering with OMR sheets, creating fake websites and issuing fake admit cards.