Privilege motion notice against Dharmendra Pradhan for remarks on NEET-2026 paper leak
New Delhi: Already facing calls to resign in the wake of the NEET-UG 2026 paper leak, Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan may now face privilege proceedings in the Rajya Sabha after a notice was filed against him for allegedly undermining the dignity of Parliament through comments he made at a press conference after a press conference.Congress chief whip Jairam Ramesh in the Rajya Sabha on Monday sent a notice against Pradhan, accusing him of making “disparaging” comments against a parliamentary committee which, according to Ramesh, “shows his contempt for Parliament.”“I have served notice of a question of privilege under Rule 187 of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in the Council of States against the Union Education Minister for defamation of Parliament and Parliamentary Committees. He made these outrageous comments while presiding over a rotting education ministry that is ruining the future of millions of youth across the country,” the Congress leader wrote in an X post sharing a copy of his notice.Ramesh added that it is “well established” that any derogatory reference to parliamentary committees or their members amounts to “gross contempt” of such panels and, by extension, contempt of the House.“Therefore, I request that privilege proceedings be initiated against Shri Dharmendra Pradhan in this regard,” he said in the notice.The chief made the allegedly derogatory remarks at a press conference on May 15, three days later. National Testing Agency (NTA) canceled NEET-UG 2026 exam after paper leak.In the same press conference, the chief announced that the re-examination will be held on June 21 and said that, from next year, the medical entrance exam will be held in online mode.According to Ramesh, the chief was asked by reporters why the education ministry had not implemented the recommendations of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Education in its report on NTA.“To this question, the Minister replied: ‘I will not comment on the red flags of the Parliamentary Standing Committee. I will talk about the High-Level Committee of Experts/Radhakrishnan Committee. The Parliamentary Standing Committee has members from the opposition. They write things in a certain way, you know. So, I will not speak in the standing committee,” wrote Ramesh.“Parliamentary committees are an extension of the Parliament of India, and are aptly referred to as mini-parliaments. Hence, executive accountability to the legislature and its parliamentary committees is a fundamental principle of democratic polity in India. The above conduct of the Education Minister constitutes a grave violation and repugnant provision of the House. In fact, this is a perfect case of breach of privilege and contempt and merits action by you as the Standing Committee on Education is one of the eight Standing Committees of the Rajya Sabha,” he added.The National Eligibility Entrance Test (Graduate) was held on May 3 and was later canceled after irregularities were revealed. Around 23 lakh candidates registered for the exam, which was conducted by agencies across the country.(with PTI input)
