CJP Protest in Delhi: 'Resignation of Dharmendra Pradhan non-negotiable,' says CJP after government meet

According to ANI, opposition MPs are once again planning to protest at the Makar Dwar of the Parliament at 10:30 AM over students issues before day 5 of the monsoon session commences. This comes after a wave of protests and counter protests from both the opposition and the government yesterday at the same venue.

The Cockroach Janta Party has expressed relief over Sonam Wanghcuk breaking his fast but have confirmed that the peaceful protests will go on until Dharmendra Pradhan resigns.

Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge has urged the Prime Minister to give a statement in Parliament and apologise for the police excesses during the protests.

"First, apologize to the students and take strict action against those who ordered the use of lathis, batons, and Pellet Guns to suppress the students’ voices," he said.

Cockroach Janta Party National Spokesperson Ashutosh Ranka has said that the CJP will host a press conference at 11 AM before their scheduled meeting with JP Nadda at 12:30 PM.

"At 1230 pm, there is a meeting with JP Nadda ji in CCI. Before that, we will hold a press conference at 11 am," he said to reporters.

Congress and other opposition MPs have gathered in the Parliament complex to demand the removal of education minister Dhamendra Pradhan.

Congress Rajya Sabha MP Pawan Khera has raised questions over newly appointed education secretary Naresh Pal Gangwar. The MP alleged that Gangwar's family received crores worth of subsidies while he was Agricultural Secretary.

"New Education Secretary Naresh Pal Gangwar's wife, mother and son collectively received over ₹1.16 crore in NHB horticulture subsidies while he served as Agriculture Secretary. That’s how deep-rooted corruption is in this government," he said.

The Delhi High Court, on Friday, has agreed to hear a PIL filed against the government's suspension of internet services in the Central Delhi area where the protesting students have gathered.

Both the Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha have adjourned and will meet again at 12 noon.

TMC MP Saugata Ray has said that he'd like to see the draft of the proposed bill over paper leaks before making any judgement over it. Though he also criticised the delay in the governments response.

"...What can we say until we see it? It's been so long... Why is it taking so long? Why is the government so lax in meeting the students' demands? This question will definitely arise... The main question is, when will Dharmendra Pradhan quit?" he said to ANI.

Congress MP Imraan Masood has called out Sonam Wangchuk for making a 'deal' with the government without the presence of any students, calling it his 'personal deal' with the government.

"He is Anna (social activist Anna Hazare) part two. For 12 years, Anna has remained silent, and now Sonam Wangchuk will remain silent. You were striking a deal with the government yesterday; at the time, was any student present there? What else is there except your personal deal with the government?" he told ANI.

The DMRC has said that 17 Metro stations in the city will remain closed today keeping in mind the situation in the capital. These stations are:

Lok Kalyan Marg, Rajiv Chowk, Patel Chowk, Ramakrishna Ashram Marg, Barakhambha Road, Supreme Court, Seva Teerth, Janpath, Mandi House, Central Secretariat, ITO, Delhi Gate, Indraprastha, Khan Market, Jor Bagh, Shivaji Stadium and Jhandewalan.

Interchange facilities will remain available at Rajiv Chowk, Mandi House and Central Secretariat.

Following the lead of the University of Delhi, the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) has advised all its stakeholders to avoid the Jantar Mantar protests due to security and legal concerns.

Speaking in the Lok Sabha, Union Minister Kiren Rijiju stated that making excuses to avoid holding a discussion on NEET will send the wrong message to the country.

The Rajya Sabha has been adjourned till 2 PM following protests by Opposition members over the NEET paper leak issue and police action against students.

The Lok Sabha has been adjourned for the day amid a persistent demand by the opposition for the resignation of Dharmendra Pradhan.

Maharashtra Opposition leaders have expressed outrage and are demanding strict action over a viral video showing a police officer allegedly manhandling a woman protester during a demonstration in Mumbai against the NEET paper leak.

Dr. Ram Manohar Lohia (RML) Hospital in New Delhi stated that a 21-year-old female patient admitted in critical condition from a recent protest site is showing clinical improvement. She was successfully removed from the ventilator nearly 48 hours ago and is now breathing on her own, conscious, and responding appropriately to commands. Her clinical condition is currently stable, though she continues to receive comprehensive critical care under the close supervision of a multidisciplinary team.

The Supreme Court has stated it will monitor steps taken to curb NEET paper leaks after the Centre submitted that stringent measures are being taken. Referring to temporary measures being taken to securely conduct the NEET exam, the apex court remarked that ad hocism has troubled the system for years.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Friday slammed Delhi University after it urged students to "stay away" from Jantar Mantar protests, questioning how the varsity dared to "threaten" students for exercising their democratic rights.

Activist Sonam Wangchuk ended his fast yesterday after receiving a written assurance from the government regarding student demands and NEET concerns, his wife Gitanjali Angmo stated. Following a late-night meeting with Union Ministers JP Nadda and Jitendra Singh, the government committed in writing that no FIRs or legal action would be taken against protesters, existing cases would be withdrawn, no undue force would be used, compensation would be provided to families of students who died by suicide over the NEET issue, and Parliament would discuss educational reforms. Calling the movement successful and noting that the NEET paper leak was a symptom of deeper systemic issues, Angmo shared that Wangchuk is currently on a liquid diet and will gradually transition back to solid food over the next few days.

MP Bharti has stated that the Opposition will be ready to hold discussions only after Dharmendra Pradhan resigns.

Commenting on Prime Minister Narendra Modi's video message regarding the paper leak issue, Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut stated that the Education Minister's resignation was required and that administrative reshuffling will not solve anything. He added that if the Prime Minister does not know the reason for the unrest across the country, he should speak to Rahul Gandhi.

Punjab Minister Harpal Singh Cheema stated that existing laws like the IPC are already sufficient to punish those guilty, demanding that Dharmendra Pradhan resign and those responsible be imprisoned. Cheema alleged that introducing a new law is merely an attempt to cover up the issue and that the Prime Minister is acting to protect those responsible.

CJP Founder Abhijeet Dipke stated that the government is trying to detain or arrest protesters tonight to prevent larger crowds from gathering over the weekend. Warning the administration against making another mistake, Dipke noted that past police actions and detentions only intensified the movement. He warned that arresting leaders now will cause protests to spread nationwide, adding that the only way to resolve the standoff is the resignation of Dharmendra Pradhan.

Lok Sabha proceedings were washed out for the fifth consecutive day on Friday and adjourned till Monday as the opposition stuck to its demand for Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan's resignation over the NEET paper leak. Meanwhile, the government stated that making any excuse not to hold a debate on the issue would send a wrong signal to the country.

DMK MP Tiruchi Siva hit out at the centre over their treatment of protestors and called out PM Modi for not taking action all these days.

"Centre is inhumane towards students, PM Modi is talking about fast-track court, new law while taking no action all these days, let us hope for the best." he told PTI.

According to PTI, talks between Cockroach Janta Party and government have begun at Vithalbhai Patel House in Delhi.

Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge has called out the government for using prestigious universities for propaganda purposes. He called this action as "denigerating our centre's of learning''.

''Students are on ground zero, because Modi Govt is now using these much-respected universities as propaganda outlets to bully them. Instead of making Dharmendra Pradhan resign and then start a meaningful discussion on the Education System, Modi-Shah have resorted to denigerating our centre's of learning. Now you know why our youth are on the streets. Now you know how BJP damaged the Education system in the past 12 years!" He said in a post on X.

The DMRC has announced that the New Delhi Metro station has been closed until further notice. No interchange facility will be available at the station either.

CJP National spokespersons Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka met with Union Ministers JP Nadda and Jitendra Singh.

Saurav Das, national spokesperson for the CJP, after the meeting with the government said that he communicated to the ministers that the demand for Dharmendra Pradhan's resignation is non-negotiable. Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka met with union ministers JP Nadda and Jitendra Singh.

As said by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his post-midnight address on Instagram, the Union Cabinet have approved amendments to the anti-paper leak bill, an ANI report said.

After meeting with the government, Cockroach Janta Party's National Spokesperson Ashutosh Ranka told reporters, "The government has asked for time till tomorrow afternoon on our demand for Dharmendra Pradhan's resignation. We hope the govt will remove him soon. The government has expressed in-principle approval on the two demands of compensation (for families of NEET aspirants who died by suicide) and withdrawal of FIRs, legal cases on students."

Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, met with a student injured in alleged pellet firing. The Delhi Police maintain that they had not used the controversial weapon during the protests.

Speaking to reporters, CJP national spokesperson Ashutosh Ranka said that the government gave a very positive responds to two of their three demands. He also said that the government has proposed to meet tomorrow afternoon as well.

In a detailed social media post, Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi brought to attention the case of 19 year-old Sahil who was hit with a pellet gun.

"Sahil is a student at Delhi University, but to support his family, he also drives a part-time car. He himself was a victim of the 2025 SSC Delhi Constable paper leak. Now, he fears that the SSC has again given the contract to the same agency, and the paper will be leaked once more,'' he said.

Congress MP Jairam Ramesh questioned the integrity of the Modi government over two recent incidents related to the education system in the country. He expressed concern over the appointment of the new education secretary as well as the CBI giving a clean chit to suspected NEET UG 2024 paper leak mastermind Sanjeev Mukhiya.

Shiv Sena (UBT) MLA Aaditya Thackeray along with MNS leader Amit Thackeray, son of Raj Thackeray, hold a Tiranga Rally in Mumbai in solidarity with students protesting over the NEET paper leak issue.

Shashi Tharoor called the university's move having a ''chilling effect on democratic speech and expression''. He recalled that even during JP's movement leading up to the emergency, there was no bar on students joining any protests.

Former Cabinet Minister P Chidambaram said that Fast Track Special Courts are not the whole answer to the problem pointing towards the high number of pending cases in other such courts.

"There are 775 FTSCs in India for trying various offences According to the Ministry of Law, over 2,45,000 cases are pending in FTSCs A FTSC is not a court building. It requires judges, court staff, prosecutors, procedural compliances, investigators, bailiffs, witnesses, and additional financial resources The most important constraint is that there not a sufficient number of judges; many posts of judges are vacant A FTSC may help if the other conditions are satisfied,'' he said.

The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) on Friday announced the reopening of entry gates at Mandi House and Central Secretariat metro stations after they were temporarily closed earlier in the day due to security arrangements linked to the ongoing protests at Jantar Mantar.

“Service Update: Entry gates for Mandi House and Central Secretariat metro stations are now open,” the DMRC said in a post on X.

Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Friday criticised the Centre, alleging that pellet guns were used against students during protests in Delhi.

Seeking to support his claim, the Congress MP presented before the media a student who had reportedly sustained injuries to his eye and body during the demonstration.

Gandhi claimed the student was peacefully protesting while holding the Indian Tricolour when he was allegedly struck, resulting in the loss of vision in one eye.

“You're saying pellet guns were used. But I want to explain when the pellet gun was used? The pellet gun was used when my brother was holding the Indian tricolor. He was protesting peacefully with the Indian Tricolour. Government has said no pellet gun has been used. Haven't they said it? See this, this is a pellet gun… his eye has been damaged, he has lost his vision,” Gandhi said while showing the student’s injuries to reporters.