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As Union Minister Pralhad Joshi assumed additional charge of the Education Ministry on Sunday following the resignation of Dharmendra Pradhan, the Centre and the Opposition are set for a fresh confrontation in Parliament. The government is scheduled to introduce the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Amendment Bill, 2026 in the Lok Sabha on Monday.

The proposed legislation seeks to strengthen the examination system through fast-track courts, tougher punishments and stricter enforcement mechanisms amid nationwide protests over alleged irregularities in the NEET-UG 2026 examination.

The move follows nearly two months of protests led by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) and various student groups demanding accountability over the alleged paper leak. Facing mounting pressure, Dharmendra Pradhan resigned as Union Education Minister, after which Pralhad Joshi was given additional charge of the portfolio.

Expressing gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Joshi announced on X that he had formally assumed charge of the Education Ministry.

"Today, I assumed charge as the Union Minister for Education. I am grateful to Hon'ble Prime Minister Shri @narendramodi ji for placing his faith in me and entrusting me with this responsibility," he posted.

"I accept it with humility and a deep sense of duty," he added.

Joshi, the BJP MP from Karnataka's Dharwad constituency, continues to hold the portfolios of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, as well as New and Renewable Energy. He has previously served as the Union Minister for Coal, Mines and Parliamentary Affairs.

Meanwhile, Union Minister of State for Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions Jitendra Singh will seek leave to introduce the amendment Bill in the Lok Sabha. The proposed law contains seven major amendments aimed at plugging enforcement gaps, creating dedicated fast-track courts and expediting investigations and trials in paper leak cases following the NEET-UG 2026 controversy.

The legislation proposes strict timelines for completing investigations and judicial proceedings, marking a significant overhaul of the original 2024 law governing public examinations.

Apart from the examination reforms Bill, the government is also expected to push several key legislations during the Monsoon Session. These include the Income-tax (Amendment) Bill, 2026, the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Development (Amendment) Bill, 2026, the Registration of Births and Deaths (Amendment) Bill, 2026, and the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2026. Two other Bills—the Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Amendment Bill, 2026 and the Prevention of Insults to National Honour (Amendment) Bill, 2026—have already been introduced in the Rajya Sabha.

The Monsoon Session of Parliament began on July 20 and is scheduled to continue until August 13.

Pradhan's resignation followed the peak of the student agitation on July 20, when the 'Chalo Sansad' march was met with police action. The crackdown drew sharp criticism from Opposition parties, while Delhi Police maintained that protesters had turned violent, prompting intervention.

Pradhan later submitted his resignation to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who accepted it. The announcement, which Pradhan shared on X, triggered celebrations among protesters gathered at Jantar Mantar.

In his resignation letter, Pradhan said he was stepping down in the larger interest of students to ensure that India's youth did not become "trapped in a web of confusion". He also reaffirmed his long-standing commitment to education reforms.

"For more than four decades, I have been associated with students, teachers and the cause of education reform. I have always believed that a strong, inclusive and forward-looking education system is the foundation of a strong nation," he wrote.

The agitation gained further momentum after activist Sonam Wangchuk launched an indefinite hunger strike at Jantar Mantar on June 28. He continued the fast for 26 days before being shifted by Delhi Police to Safdarjung Hospital and later to Medanta Hospital.

Throughout the 37-day CJP-led protest, Jantar Mantar witnessed large gatherings of students and young people carrying creative placards and using Gen Z slogans while demanding Pradhan's resignation. Six student union leaders also joined Wangchuk's hunger strike. Three were reportedly hospitalised, while the remaining three ended their fast on July 20.

The Cockroach Janta Party, which began as a satirical social media movement following Chief Justice Surya Kant's reported "cockroaches" remark, eventually succeeded in securing its principal demand—the resignation of the Education Minister. Besides Pradhan's resignation, the outfit demanded compensation for families of students who died by suicide following the paper leak controversy and withdrawal of FIRs registered against student protesters.

Following Pradhan's exit, Union Ministers JP Nadda and Jitendra Singh held a third round of talks with CJP leaders. The government agreed to provide appropriate compensation to the families of NEET aspirants who died by suicide and assured the withdrawal of FIRs filed against protesters across the country.

Nadda also said the Centre would examine the CJP's five-point charter on examination reforms before taking an appropriate decision. The next round of discussions has been scheduled after four weeks.

The CJP subsequently called off its protest at Jantar Mantar, saying it was acting in good faith. Spokesperson Saurav Das said the movement would continue to champion youth-related issues nationwide.

"This is just a trailer. The picture is still to come. The youth of the country have awakened. We will travel across the country, listen to young people, formulate better policies and continue demanding accountability. This is only the beginning," Das said.

He added that Pradhan's resignation was only the first step and warned that if systemic reforms were not implemented, young people would return in even larger numbers. Das also demanded action against police personnel accused of using excessive force during the protests.

CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke said the organisation would next focus on the alleged Punjab examination paper leak and announce its future strategy shortly.

"We will announce our future course of action soon. The protest has only just concluded, so give us a little time. We will address that issue as well," Dipke said.

The NEET-UG 2026 examination was originally held on May 3 but was cancelled after allegations of a paper leak surfaced. The examination was subsequently reconducted on June 21. The controversy, coupled with reports of several aspirants dying by suicide, triggered widespread public outrage, sustained student protests and ultimately led to Pradhan's resignation.

The passage of the proposed Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Amendment Bill, 2026 is now expected to be a key test for the Centre as it seeks to restore confidence in the country's examination system, strengthen institutional credibility and rebuild public trust in national testing agencies.

(This report has been published as part of the auto-generated syndicate wire feed. Apart from the headline, no editing has been done in the copy by ABP Live.)