Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan resigned from his post on Saturday, submitting his resignation to Prime Minister Narendra Modi amid nationwide student protests over the NEET-UG 2026 examination.
In a statement shared on social media, Mr Pradhan said he was deeply pained by the developments over the past ten days and stressed that the issue was not a matter of personal prestige. He said he decided to step down to prevent anti-national forces from exploiting the situation and to ensure that students' futures were not affected by legal complications.
Expressing gratitude to Prime Minister Modi for his guidance, trust and constant support, Mr Pradhan said serving the nation would remain his highest priority and that he would continue to contribute in every possible way.
Referring to the alleged irregularities in the NEET-UG 2026 examination, Mr Pradhan said the government had handed over the investigation to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and cancelled the original examination. He added that the re-examination was successfully conducted on 21 June 2026 through a whole-of-government approach involving the Centre, state governments and district administrations. He also announced that the examination will be conducted in Computer-Based Test (CBT) mode from next year.
Mr Pradhan said the NEET-UG 2026 results, declared on 16 July, were satisfactory and highlighted the success of many meritorious students from underprivileged backgrounds. However, he alleged that certain individuals in responsible positions had attempted to mislead students and create obstacles during the process, which he said caused him deep anguish.
