On the eve of the nationwide peaceful protest called by Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), activist Sonam Wangchuk broke his hunger strike late Thursday night in the presence of Union Ministers J.P.Nadda and Jitendra Singh, while Prime Minister Narendra Modi vowed stricter decisions in the Cabinet meet against paper leaks.
CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke welcomed Wangchuk’s decision but said the protest at Jantar Mantar will continue until Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan resigns.
CJP spokesperson Saurav Das said representatives are scheduled to meet a government delegation at the Constitution Club of India in New Delhi Friday.
Stay tuned to ThePrint for LIVE UPDATES
CJP protest LIVE UPDATES:
10.37 am: AAP’s Kejriwal slams ‘hollow assurance’ of Modi
Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) chief Arvind Kejriwal came out to slam what he called the prime minister’s “hollow assurance”. The mastermind of the 2024 NEET paper leak was declared innocent by the CBI in court, Kejriwal said in a video message on X. “If this is the kind of investigation to be done, if you have no evidence to present at all, then why the drama of fast-track courts?” There’s a flaw in the PM’s intentions, the former Delhi chief minister alleged.
कल रात को 12 बजे प्रधानमंत्री जी ने ऐलान किया कि पेपर लीक के लिए सोमवार को संसद में फ़ास्ट ट्रैक कोर्ट बनाने के लिए क़ानून लाया जाएगा।
मोदी जी का दिया आश्वासन कितना खोखला है, ये कल ख़ुद ही साबित हो गया।
2024 NEET पेपर लीक के mastermind को कल CBI ने कोर्ट में निर्दोष घोषित कर… https://t.co/PvpXjiJjQh pic.twitter.com/AuM1AODWnM
— Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) July 24, 2026
10.16 am: Don’t fall into govt’s trap, TMC’s Mahua Moitra to Wangchuk
Trinamool Congress Lok Sabha MP Mahua Moitra urged activist Sonam Wangchuk not to fall into the “government’s trap and dilute the moral high ground” that he had achieved through his fast. The student movement, she asserted, was much beyond it. Earlier, Wangchuk had ended his hunger strike after 26 days at a Gurugram hospital on the government’s assurance that no legal action would be taken against the Jantar Mantar protesters.
Dear @Wangchuk66 we respect you. But suggestion for protestors to go around the country & present PM ji with a report will not fly. Please do not fall into govt’s trap & dilute the moral high ground you achieved in 26 days. Movement is far beyond that.
— Mahua Moitra (@MahuaMoitra) July 24, 2026
9.59 am: Stop delivering ‘one-sided Mann Ki Baat,’ Kharge to PM Modi
PM Narendra Modi should be making a statement on the paper leaks issue on the floor of the House and not delivering a “one-sided Mann Ki Baat,” Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said Friday. He further suggested the Prime Minister to dismiss Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan before reaching Parliament. “First, apologise to the students and take strict action against those who ordered the use of lathis, batons, and pellet guns to suppress the students’ voices,” Kharge posted orginally in Hindi.
जब संसद चल रही होती है तो प्रधानमंत्री को संसद के पटल पर Statement देना होता है, देर रात एक वीडियो बनाकर, संसद के बाहर एकतरफ़ा “मन की बात” नहीं करनी होती !! @narendramodi जी,
आज संसद में आने से पहले, धर्मेंद्र प्रधान को बर्खास्त कर के आइएगा। पहले छात्रों से माफ़ी माँगिए और…
— Mallikarjun Kharge (@kharge) July 24, 2026
9.36 am: Smokescreen to befool India’s young, says Surjewala
PM Narendra Modi’s initiative for fast-track courts and stricter punishment of NEET paper leak accused was a “smokescreen” to “befool India’s youth”, Congress general secretary Randeep Singh Surjewala said Friday. Citing the 2024 NEET paper leak case, he said despite the enactment of the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, and the investigation being handed over to the CBI, the government had failed to ensure accountability. The issue, Surjewala said, lay not with the law but with the government’s intent.
This is a smokescreen to befool India’s young.
After NEET Paper Leak of 2024 also, Modi Govt enacted the The Public Examinations (Prevention Of Unfair
Means) Act, 2024.They handed over the investigation of NEET 2024 leak to CBI.
But what finally happened ?
👉 CBI failed to… https://t.co/mFSHmuRfoe— Randeep Singh Surjewala (@rssurjewala) July 24, 2026
9.08 am: Protest to continue until education minister resigns, says CJP
Peaceful protest will continue until the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, said CJP founder president Abhijeet Dipke. We are relieved that Sonam (Wangchuk) sir has ended the fast, he said in a video message posted on X. “We won’t allow the sacrifices of the students to go waste,” Dipke added.
Message of Abhijit Dipke ho everyone,
At Jantar Mantar 📍 pic.twitter.com/wl0N71xJVv
— Cockroach Janta Party (@CJP_for_India) July 24, 2026
8.49 am: 17 metro stations remain closed amid CJP protest
The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) has closed 17 stations until further notice due to heightened security concerns amid the ongoing protests at Jantar Mantar. However, the interchange facility shall remain available at Rajiv Chowk, Mandi House, and Central Secretariat. The stations to remain closed 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.
8.34 am: CJP representatives likely to meet govt delegation
A delegation of the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) is expected to meet Union Ministers at 12:30 pm Friday, reported ANI. The Constitution Club of India has been chosen for the meeting, said CJP spokesperson Saurav Das. Ahead of the meeting, Union Minister of State Jitendra Singh said that the government does not stand on prestige and that both him and Union Minister J.P.Nadda would be present during any dialogue. “Slowly, by way of discussion, we will progress towards a solution. This is a part of the series of continuous steps taken by the govt for the welfare of the students. Humbly, I appeal to you all to come and have discussions,” he said. ANI
8.29 am: ‘Desperate’ PM finally broke silence, says Jairam Ramesh
Senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh took potshot at Narendra Modi, saying a “desperate and hassled-looking” prime minister finally broke his “two-month-long silence” late last night via a video message. The Modi Sarkar has long denied that the NEET-UG 2026 exam was leaked, he said. “It is only the outpouring of public anger over the last two months that has made the Pradhan Mantri accept the truth.”
The desperate and hassled-looking Pradhan Mantri finally broke his two-month-long silence late last night via a video message to speak on paper leaks.
Remember that the Modi Sarkar has long denied that the NEET-UG 2026 exam was leaked. The Mantri Pradhan deliberately refused to…
— Jairam Ramesh (@Jairam_Ramesh) July 24, 2026
8.18 am: Bill for strict action against paper leaks, says PM Modi
In a late night video, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced that his government will bring in more strict actions against paper leaks. The Union Cabinet, he said, will discuss these stringent measures on Friday. “On Monday, when the second week of the Monsoon session of Parliament will begin, a bill will be brought with provisions for strong action against paper leaks and we will try to pass it as early as possible,” he added.
More strict actions against paper leaks to come in tomorrow’s Cabinet! pic.twitter.com/NRysBukk5U
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) July 23, 2026
8.00 am: Higher Education Secy shifted
The government in a late-night move shifted Higher Education Secretary Vineet Joshi to another ministry. Joshi, who has headed the Department of Higher Education since January 2025, has been appointed Secretary, Ministry of Panchayati Raj, in place of Vivek Bhardwaj, who superannuates on 31 July.
Read this report by Vrinda Tulsian to know more
Also Read: TV news showed the CJP protest live. Then it rewrote the story on primetime