Edu Minister Dharmendra Pradhan resigns:CJP’s Dipke mocks Modi govt, says, ‘Jhukti hai duniya, jhukane wala chahiye’

Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan has resigned. The Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) had been staging a sit-in protest at Jantar Mantar for the past 36 days, demanding his resignation over the NEET paper leak case. After the resignation, CJP chief Abhijeet Dipke addressed supporters at Jantar Mantar and said, “They used to say that ministers don’t resign in this government. But the world bends if someone knows how to make it bend (Jhukti hai duniya jhukane wala chahiye).” Pradhan announced his resignation by posting a two-page, 575-word resignation letter. Along with other points, he mentioned twice that he was stepping down to ensure that the country’s youth do not become “trapped in a web of confusion.” First minister to resign after public protests in 12 years Dharmendra Pradhan is the first Union minister to resign following public protests during the 12 years of the Modi government, which came to power in 2014. The last minister to resign was Minister of State for External Affairs MJ Akbar in 2018. However, his resignation came amid the global #MeToo movement, after several women accused him of sexual harassment during his days as a journalist. Dipke says protest will continue despite Pradhan’s resignation; seeks ₹1 crore compensation, action against police After Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation, Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) chief Abhijeet Dipke said the protest at Jantar Mantar would continue until the group’s remaining demands were met. “Our minister has resigned, but we still have two more demands. We are not leaving. Once a cockroach gets in, it doesn’t come out,” Dipke said. He demanded ₹1 crore compensation for the families of students who died by suicide and action against police personnel over the handling of the protests. He also called for all cases registered against protesting students to be withdrawn. Addressing Delhi Police, Dipke said, “Remember, you picked a fight with the cockroach. We got a Union minister to resign, so who are you?” He added that people had been telling him for the past month that the government would never force a resignation, but claimed the protesters had proved them wrong. “This is a democracy. They said this government would never resign, but we made it happen,” he said. Wangchuk calls it ‘a victory for democracy’ Sonam Wangchuk, in a post from the hospital, called the development “a victory for democracy.” He wrote, “This is a victory for democracy — direct democracy achieved through the streets. It is a victory of peace, patience and determination.” Wangchuk congratulated the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) and Gen Z, and thanked citizens across the country for standing up and raising their voices. CJP says “Cockroaches have won” after Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation Following Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation, the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) said, “The cockroaches have won.” In a post, the party claimed victory after leading a 36-day protest at Jantar Mantar demanding Pradhan’s resignation. Social activist Sonam Wangchuk had also observed a hunger strike at the protest site, seeking the education minister’s resignation. Pradhan resigned 4 hours after Bhagwat’s remarks RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat, speaking at an event in Delhi on Saturday morning, said, “We cannot act arbitrarily and become masters over everyone through power.” Bhagwat said today’s younger generation asks many questions. Instead of issuing orders, we should engage with them in dialogue. They should be made to understand the reasoning behind every decision rather than simply being told what to do. Only through dialogue can they be guided in the right direction. Four hours after Bhagwat’s remarks, Dharmendra Pradhan resigned. Yesterday, 47 National Testing Agency officials were dismissed On Friday night, the National Testing Agency (NTA) dismissed 47 officials in connection with the NEET paper leak case. The agency also said that criminal cases would be registered against the dismissed officials. According to officials, more action will be taken soon as part of reforms in the NTA. A day earlier, on Thursday, the government had transferred two secretaries in the Ministry of Education. Officials said the outsourcing system will be overhauled and technological upgrades will be introduced to make examinations completely secure. A new testing system will also be developed to eliminate any possibility of paper leaks. The NTA will appoint four Senior General Managers and 16 Young Professionals through the UPSC’s Pratibha Setu portal. Dharmendra Pradhan was lathi-charged over a paper leak 29 years ago Twenty-nine years ago, Dharmendra Pradhan had also protested against a paper leak. Prashant Raut, a former associate of Pradhan, told The Indian Express that after a paper leak in Odisha in 1997, Pradhan led a protest. Around 1,500 students took part in the demonstration. Police resorted to a lathi charge on the protesters. Dharmendra Pradhan was severely beaten, suffered multiple injuries across his body, and also sustained fractures. What is the NEET paper leak case? So far, 13 arrested The question paper of the NEET-UG 2026 examination, held on 3 May 2026, was leaked. The government and the NTA subsequently cancelled the exam and conducted a re-examination. During this period, several students across the country died by suicide. Over the paper leak, the Cockroach Janata Party has been protesting at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar for over a month. Sonam Wangchuk observed a 26-day hunger strike, while Members of Parliament have continued to raise the issue in Parliament. The CBI is currently investigating the case. Searches and investigations have been carried out in Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Delhi, and several other states. So far, 13 accused have been arrested, and the CBI is expected to file its chargesheet soon. Current law to prevent paper leaks: 4 key points 1. Until June 2024, there was no single central law dealing specifically with paper leaks. Cases were registered under provisions related to cheating, criminal conspiracy, and forgery, which did not have stringent bail conditions. 2. Some states enacted their own anti-copying laws and also invoked the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) in certain cases. In Uttar Pradesh, the Gangsters Act was also applied in some paper leak cases. 3. Following irregularities in the NEET-UG and UGC examinations, the central government implemented the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act on 21 June 2024. The law criminalises offences such as paper leaks, assisting in paper leaks, illegally obtaining OMR sheets, facilitating cheating, creating fake examination-related websites, and threatening examiners. 4. All offences under the Act are non-bailable. It provides for two categories of punishment: For paper leaks and related offences: 3 to 5 years’ imprisonment and a fine of up to ₹10 lakh. If the offence is committed by the director or management officials of the examination-conducting body or agency: 3 to 10 years’ imprisonment and a fine of up to ₹1 crore.