Govt To Introduce Anti-Paper Leak Bill As CJP Calls Off Nationwide Agitation
New Delhi : In a major political shift, Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan has submitted his resignation to Prime Minister Narendra Modi under Article 75(2) of the Constitution. Following his exit, President Droupadi Murmu assigned senior cabinet minister Pralhad Joshi additional charge of the Ministry of Education alongside his current portfolios of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, and New and Renewable Energy. Pradhan stated that he stepped down in the interest of students and to prevent ongoing protests over NEET-UG 2026 paper leaks and CBSE marking irregularities from being exploited by anti-national forces. His resignation culminates over a month of intense nationwide demonstrations and political pressure led by the Opposition, alongside activist Sonam Wangchuk’s 26-day hunger strike that ended following direct assurances from the Prime Minister.
In response to the crisis, the Union Cabinet has approved the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Amendment Bill, 2026, which Union Minister Dr. Jitendra Singh will introduce in the Lok Sabha on Monday. The new legislation seeks to amend the 2024 Act by establishing dedicated fast-track special courts for swift trials, imposing up to 10 years of imprisonment, and levying hefty financial penalties to dismantle organized examination syndicates.
Following breakthrough discussions with Union Ministers J.P. Nadda and Dr. Jitendra Singh, the protest movement led by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) has officially been called off. The government assured the delegation that no FIRs would be registered against student demonstrators, any existing police cases would be withdrawn, maximum compensation under rules would be provided to families of affected students, and the CJP’s five-point examination reform charter would be actively evaluated. CJP leaders Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka announced the withdrawal of the agitation in good faith and appealed to all protesting students across the country to return home peacefully.
