CHENNAI ■ MADURAI ■ VIJAYAWADA BENGALURU ■ KOCHI ■ HYDERABAD ■ VISAKHAPATNAM ■ COIMBATORE ■ KOZHIKODE ■ THIRUVANANTHAPURAM ■ BELAGAVI ■ BHUBANESWAR ■ SHIVAMOgGA ■ MANGALURU ■ TIRUPATI ■ TIRUCHY ■ TIRUNELVELI ■ SAMBALPUR ■ HUBBALLI ■ DHARMAPURI ■ KOTTAYAM ■ KANNUR ■ VILLUPURAM ■ KOLLAM ■ TADEPALLIGUDEM ■ NAGAPATTINAM ■ THRISSUR ■ KALABURAGI ■ ■ hyderabad l sunday l july 26, 2026 l `12.00 l PAGES 24 l late city EDITION Union MoS Jitendra Singh, Minister J P Nadda and CJP spokespersons Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka after the third round of talks held on Saturday | PTI Mantri Pradhan out in Gen Z debut Pralhad Joshi gets addl charge of edu ministry r a j e s h k um a r th a k u r @ New Delhi Southern Storm PLUS 12 P AGES tg youth Break Into Cheers Victory marches across Hyderabad as students celebrate Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation on Saturday. The students pledged to keep up the fight for education reforms | p5 Express Re a d WITH THIS ISSUE BJP heavyweight Dharmendra Pradhan, who held on as Union education minister for 1,845 days, was brought down in the end not by an election or a scandal probe, but by a satire party named after a cockroach, coupled with a paper leak he couldn’t wriggle away . The education minister resigned on Saturday citing moral responsibility, after over a month of nationwide protests spearheaded by the CJP and triggered by the alleged NEET-UG paper leak and examination irregularities. In an open letter addressed to the youth, Pradhan said he was stepping down to protect the aspirations of India’s young people and prevent anti-national forces from exploiting the situation. “India’s Yuva-Shakti is the real power of the country he said in his two-page ,” resignation letter made public on X. He said the developments of the past 10 days had “saddened” him deeply and that the issue was “not a matter of personal prestige”. Noting that he did not want “anti-national forces” to exploit the situation, Pradhan said he wanted students to devote their time to studies and building their careers. Until late Friday evening, the government appeared to be in denial over his resignation. However, developments leading to his departure followed a reported meeting between home minister Amit Shah and PM Narendra Modi. With the agitation gathering momentum and spreading across the country, the government reportedly decided there was no option than to seek his resignation. According to sources, Pradhan submitted his resignation to the PM on Saturday morning, on his own and shared it on social media in the afternoon. No action will be taken against the organisers and protesters. Govt assured families of students who lost their lives of the highest possible compensation J P Nadda CJP head Abhijeet Dipke celebrates, and so do people across the nation including in Chennai | PTI/Martin Louis Protest over after 36 days Stringent penalty for crime syndicates The Public Exam (Prevention of Unfair Means) Amendment Bill says individuals involved in paper leaks will get jail terms between 5-10 years, and `50 lakh fine. For organised crime, it proposes 7 years in jail and a fine of up to `10 cr AFTER 36 days of continuous protest at Jantar Mantar, the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) on Saturday called off its protest “with immediate effect” and asked supporters at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar to return home. The announcement came in a joint Centre-CJP press conference in the evening, following the resignation of Dharmendra Pradhan as Union education minister. His resignation was the CJP’s central demand over the NEET paper leak. CJP chief spokesperson Saurav Das said the agitation was being withdrawn in ‘good faith This resignation is evidence that if you don’t get scared, don’t bend before this government, you can get their resignation Abhijeet Dipke, CJP A victory of democracy, direct democracy from the streets ... congratulations CJP, Gen Z and thank you all citizens for shedding fear Sonam Wangchuk The chief of the Rapid Action Force (RAF) has pulled up field commanders and personnel of the force over the alleged use of excessive force against protesters during the “Sansad Chalo” march on July 20. During the virtual review meeting held on Wednesday, amid mounting criticism of the force’s handling of the Jantar Mantar protest and allegations that excessive force was used, the RAF’s top leadership told officers and personnel that the force used during the July 20 march did not conform to the RAF’s prescribed crowd-control protocols and stressed that force must always be applied in a graded and proportionate manner. They were also directed that the Projectile Attack Gun (PAG), Anti-Riot Gun (ARG), electric shock weapons and electric shields will not be used or issued to the forces deployed in the national capital until further orders. According to sources, all personnel were instructed to strictly follow the “Use of Force” norms after assessing the nature of the crowd. SET formed to inquire into Dharani irregularities Hyderabad: Expressing concern over rampant illegal constructions in Hyderabad, the Telangana High Court imposed costs of `3 lakh on a petitioner for constructing two unauthorised additional floors and a penthouse and then trying to get them regularised | p3 Ruling that the Telangana State Human Rights Commission has no jurisdiction over complaints against private companies or their employees, the Telangana High Court held that its powers are confined to cases involving public servants | P4 Hyderabad: The state government has constituted a seven-member Special Enquiry Team (SET) to inquire into alleged irregularities in the Dharani portal, in accordance with a recent Cabinet decision | P4 @ Hyderabad Gen-Z protests have made Dharmendra Pradhan resign from the Union Cabinet. This is the victory of the youth of this country A Revanth Reddy, chief minister Power of people is always greater than the people in power Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy leads candlelight march from People’s Plaza to the Indira Gandhi statue in Hyderabad on Saturday | SRI LOGANATHAN VELMURUGAN dhi statue at Necklace Road. Addressing the gathering, Revanth said the proposal was intended to give greater political representation to the country’s youth. Recalling reforms introduced by former prime ministers, he said Rajiv Gandhi, through the 61st Constitutional Amendment, lowered the voting age from 21 to 18, while P V Narasimha Rao reduced the minimum age to contest local body elections from 25 to 21 years.   Continued on p4 KT Rama Rao, BRS working president This is what we are about: Nation First, Party Next, Self Last Bandi Sanjay Kumar, Minister of State for Home Affairs a l l i n the n a m e Juggling complexities of life, Jhandu lifts dream Jhandu is not a common name. It has an uncanny resemblance with one of the most iconic pain-relief retro brands – Zandu balm and its popular ad run on DD years ago. Nor has it to do with Xanadu — considered the idyllic capital of Kubla Khan. There is a very interesting anecdote behind it, which Jhandu Kumar himself narrated from Glasgow. In fact, his story is a poignant reminder of India’s hinterland and its travails. Born in a vegetable vendor family money was always considered , a novelty, something extra-terrestrial. Earnings were meager and at the age of just five, Jhandu, who is 29 now, was afflicted with polio. Life went downhill as his family spent their entire fortune (however meager it was) on him. But Jhandu fondly recollected the days as a child and the Rahul Gandhi, LoP E x p r e s s N e w s S e r v i c e @ New Delhi ‘HRC can’t probe complaints against pvt firms’ Express News Service I n d r a n e e l d a s @ Chennai and understanding that the agreed upon terms will be executed within the agreed upon timelines’. With one demand already met, the group’s spokespersons said the government assured them that police cases filed against student-protesters would be withdrawn, and maximum compensation would be given to families of students who died by suicide over the NEET-UG paper leak. CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke’s first reaction after the resignation was, “Jhukti hai duniya, jhukane wala chahiye (The world bends; we need someone to bend it).” RAF chief raps use of excessive force HC slaps `3L costs for illegal construction Lowering contesting age to 21 will give Gen Z voice: Revanth Noting that 21-year-olds are eligible to join the civil services but cannot contest Assembly or Lok Sabha elections, Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy on Saturday announced that the state government would convene a special session of the Assembly to pass a resolution urging the Union government to lower the minimum age for contesting such elections from 25 to 21 years. “The government will introduce and pass a resolution in the Assembly by convening a special session in the first week of August,” he said. This came after the chief minister, accompanied by Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka and other Congress leaders, participated in a candlelight rally organised by the Congress from People’s Plaza to the Indira Gan- i f r a h mu f ti @ New Delhi Pradhan’s resignation is a huge step towards reshaping our education system. Well done to students. Proud of all of you Union Minister Pralhad Joshi has been appointed as Education Minister following Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation from the post on Saturday. Joshi has been given additional charge of the Education Ministry besides his role as Consumer Affairs Minister | P7 India win 2nd medal after Lovlina assured first Though there were seven paralifters at the Glasgow Games out which Jhandu Kumar returned with a medal by accummulating 130.9 points. Ashok finished fourth and missed out on a medal. Pugilist Lovlina Borgohain assured India their first medal when she got a bye until the medal round — semifinals in boxing hardship his family had to endure. “I was five years old when polio struck me,” he told this daily on Saturday a day after a glittering Friday when he won his first Commonwealth Games medal, a bronze. There was a tinge of tragic-comic narrative to his recent stardom. “My father spent all the money on me and because of which we went bankrupt. Isiliye unlogo mera naam Jhandu rakha, log bolne laga jhandu ho gaya (that’s why they call be Jhandu),” he said with a chuckle. The medal he hoped would change his fortunes. For someone who started para sport four years ago this is indeed creditable. Sabnahua Dih near Harnaut in Nalanda district is just a speck on the map. A nondescript village will slowly get into some kind of prominence on the sporting map through Jhandu. Juggling complexities of life has been his forte but after the bronze on Friday he is expecting better days.P11 ,