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Dharmendra Pradhan resigns as Education Minister amid NEET paper leak protests

Published July 26, 2026 at 12:32 AM UTC

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Dharmendra Pradhan resigned as Union Education Minister on Wednesday, following weeks of nationwide student protests over the NEET-UG paper leak. The government accepted his resignation and assigned the additional charge of the ministry to Pralhad Joshi, who will also continue as Minister of Parliamentary Affairs. The NEET-UG exam, held in May, saw a major paper leak that affected hundreds of thousands of medical aspirants. Student protests erupted across cities, demanding a CBI investigation and the resignation of the minister. The government initially stood by Pradhan, but the protests intensified after a breakthrough in the case by activist Sonam Wangchuk failed to pacify demonstrators. Over the past week, the ruling party's political capital eroded as opposition parties cornered the government in Parliament and on the streets. The resignation marks a significant political move ahead of state elections. Pralhad Joshi now faces the challenge of restoring confidence in the examination system and ensuring timely conduct of the next NEET session. The government has promised a high-level inquiry into the leak, but many details remain unclear.