Pralhad Joshi gets education charge as Prez accepts Pradhan's resignation
At present, he oversees the ministries of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, along with New and Renewable Energy
 "Pralhad Joshi gets education charge as Prez accepts Pradhan's resignation")
President Droupadi Murmu on Saturday accepted the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and assigned the Ministry of Education to Union Minister Pralhad Joshi as an additional charge.
"The President of India, as advised by the Prime Minister, has accepted the resignation of Shri Dharmendra Pradhan from the Union Council of Ministers, with immediate effect, under clause (2) of Article 75 of the Constitution of India," President's Secretariat said in a statement.
It added, "Further, as advised by the Prime Minister, the President has directed that Shri Pralhad Joshi, Cabinet Minister, be assigned the charge of the Ministry of Education, in addition to his existing portfolio."
The announcement came hours after Pradhan stepped down, saying he was taking responsibility for the NEET-UG 2026 paper leak and wanted to prevent the issue from affecting students and national unity.
CJP ends 36-day protest
Soon after Pradhan's resignation, the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) announced that it was ending its 36-day protest at Delhi's Jantar Mantar and other protest sites across the country with immediate effect, saying the government had accepted its demands.
The decision followed talks between CJP representatives and Union ministers J P Nadda and Jitendra Singh.
"The CJP declares that we withdraw the agitation in good faith and understanding that the agreed-upon terms will be executed within the agreed-upon timeline," CJP spokesperson Saurav Das said at a joint press conference.
"As the government accepted all our demands after 36 days of protests, we appeal to everyone to peacefully withdraw from protest sites and go home," CJP national spokesperson Ashutosh Ranka said.
Ranka said the two sides would meet again after four weeks to review the agreement and discuss the party's five-point charter on education and examination reforms.
Government agrees to key demands
The government agreed to withdraw FIRs registered against protesters in Delhi and BJP-ruled states, ensure that no retaliatory action is taken against those involved in the agitation, and provide compensation to the families of students who died by suicide following the NEET examination, in accordance with applicable rules.
Das said the organisation had also shared a draft of its reform proposals with the government and expected a written assurance by Tuesday.
Nadda said the CJP delegation had submitted a written draft raising issues related to cases registered during the agitation, compensation and examination reforms.
"We discussed these issues in detail. After the discussion, the first point was that no action should be taken and no FIRs should be filed. If any FIRs have already been registered, whether by the Delhi Police or in BJP-ruled states, it will be withdrawn," Nadda said.
The Union minister also said the government would provide "honourable compensation" within the rules to the families of students who died by suicide after the NEET examination and would provide copies of the FIRs registered during the agitation.
Talks on examination reforms
Ranka said the CJP's five-point charter focused on reforms in the examination system and would form the basis of the next round of discussions with the government.
He said the organisation's demands were aimed at improving the examination process and were not "radical".
Das said the discussions with the government were centred on three key demands: Pradhan's resignation, withdrawal of cases against protesters and organisers, and an assurance that no fresh cases would be registered against them. He added that the organisation had also sought ₹1 crore compensation for the families of those who died following the cancellation of the NEET examination.
Protest gathered nationwide support
The CJP has been staging a sit-in at Jantar Mantar since June 20, seeking accountability over the NEET-UG 2026 paper leak, alleged irregularities in the CBSE's on-screen marking process and wider reforms in the conduct of public examinations.
The protest drew support from students and opposition parties across the country. It gained momentum after activist Sonam Wangchuk, who had been on a hunger strike at Jantar Mantar since June 28, was shifted to Safdarjung Hospital by police on July 18.
The agitation escalated further during the "Sansad Chalo" march on July 20, when police used lathicharge and tear gas to disperse protesters. Later that day, Nadda held the first formal meeting with the CJP leadership, which paved the way for negotiations that culminated in Saturday's agreement.