President Droupadi Murmu has accepted the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, acting on the advice of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. In the same order, the President has directed that Cabinet Minister Pralhad Joshi be given additional charge of the Ministry of Education while retaining his existing portfolios.
President Droupadi Murmu, as advised by the Prime Minister, has accepted the resignation of Dharmendra Pradhan.
— ANI (@ANI) July 25, 2026
Further, as advised by the Prime Minister, the President has directed that Pralhad Joshi, Cabinet Minister, be assigned the charge of the Ministry of Education, in… pic.twitter.com/rMmTK99zdR
The development marks a significant shift following weeks of sustained student agitation across the country. The protests, centred at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar and led largely by the Cockroach Janta Party, demanded the resignation of union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan following the cancellation of NEET-UG exam due to paper leak. The month-long protest intensified on 20th July, when a march to the parliament turned violent and protesters clashed with police.
Following a second round of meeting between govt and CJP yesterday, Pradhan announced his decision to resign from the post earlier in the day, stating that the recent developments had deeply saddened him. He made it clear that the step was not about personal prestige but about safeguarding the future of the country’s youth, whom he described as the real strength of the nation. Emphasising that the examination mafia should not be allowed to destroy the prospects of meritorious students, he said he was resigning so that anti-national forces could not exploit the situation and that the unity of the nation remained intact.
Pradhan asserted that he accepted responsibility from the very first day and never tried to evade accountability. He said he was determined to ensure that no deserving student suffered because of the “exam mafia” and that no injustice was done to any candidate. He also expressed satisfaction over the NEET-UG results announced on July 16, stating that many meritorious students from economically weaker backgrounds had succeeded.
After the resignation, a third round of meeting was held today, in which govt accepted all the main demands of the CJP. After the meeting, CJP announced withdrawal of the protests at Jantar Mantar.
Cabinet Minister Pralhad Joshi, who will now oversee the Education Ministry in addition to his current responsibilities, is a five-time Lok Sabha Member of Parliament from the Dharwad constituency in Karnataka. The senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader currently holds the portfolios of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, and New and Renewable Energy, positions he assumed in June 2024.
As the minister for new and renewable energy, Joshi has been leading the Centre’s efforts to expand clean energy capacity, with a focus on achieving 500 GW of renewable and non-fossil fuel energy capacity by 2030 and net-zero emissions by 2070.
He has overseen key initiatives including the National Green Hydrogen Mission, PM Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Yojana, PM-KUSUM scheme and offshore wind energy projects.
Earlier, between 2019 and 2024, he had served as Minister of Parliamentary Affairs, Coal and Mines. A long-time associate of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, Joshi first entered the Lok Sabha in 2004 and has since built a reputation as an experienced administrator and organisational figure within the party.
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The assignment of additional charge to Joshi is seen as an interim arrangement while the government assesses the situation. A reshuffle of the cabinet is expected in near future.
In the meanwhile, the government has moved to strengthen legal provisions against paper leaks, signalling its intent to restore confidence in the examination system. The union govt has approved an amendment to law for stringent punishment for paper leak cases and fast-track courts for speedy trial of such cases. Major overhaul of the National Testing Agency is also announced to reform the competitive exam sector.
