Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan resigned on Saturday, July 25, after 49 days of youth-led protests at Delhi's Jantar Mantar, handing the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) its central demand. The CJP, a satirical movement born from a Supreme Court judge's remark likening unemployed youth to cockroaches, had camped at the protest site since June 6, demanding Pradhan's removal over the May leak of the NEET-UG medical entrance exam that affected more than 2 million candidates. Pradhan announced his resignation on X, saying he was stepping down so that "anti-national forces" could not exploit the situation and to ensure students' futures were not entangled in legal complications. The CJP subsequently called off its agitation after the government agreed to its remaining demands: compensation for families of students who died by suicide after the leak, and withdrawal of FIRs against protesters.

Opposition leaders welcomed the resignation as a victory for democratic accountability. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi called it a "huge step in rebuilding our education system" but said two demands remained outstanding: action against police officers who used force during the July 20 crackdown on protesters marching toward Parliament, and an apology from Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge described the resignation as "the defeat of Mr Modi's stubbornness." Activist Sonam Wangchuk, who had undertaken a 26-day hunger strike in support of the students, called it "a victory of democracy, direct democracy... straight from the streets."

The resignation is only the second time a sitting Union minister has stepped down under public pressure since Modi took office in 2014, the previous case being M.J. Akbar in 2018 over sexual harassment allegations. The CJP-led protests had become one of the most serious challenges to the Modi government since its 2024 re-election, drawing tens of thousands of young people across caste and class lines. The movement expanded beyond exam irregularities to encompass broader grievances over unemployment—with nearly 40% of graduates aged 25 or under jobless, according to a recent report—and what critics describe as the government's increasingly authoritarian style. The government had tried multiple measures before conceding: ordering a CBI probe, cancelling and re-conducting the exam, promising fast-track courts, and sacking 47 National Testing Agency officials, but the protesters held firm on Pradhan's resignation.

The government and CJP have agreed to meet again in approximately four weeks to discuss the movement's five-point charter on broader education and examination reforms. The Centre is expected to introduce the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Amendment Bill, 2026, in Parliament on Monday, July 27, which proposes minimum five-year prison terms and fines of up to ₹10 crore for organised paper leaks, along with mandatory two-month investigation deadlines and designated fast-track courts. The CJP has said it will monitor the government's implementation of the agreed terms, including the withdrawal of FIRs and payment of compensation, before deciding on further action.