Dharmendra Pradhan (File photo)
NEW DELHI: Already facing calls to resign over the NEET-UG 2026 paper leak, Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan may now have to face privilege proceedings in the Rajya Sabha after a notice was submitted against him for allegedly lowering the dignity of Parliament through remarks made at a press conference following the paper leak.Congress chief whip in the Rajya Sabha Jairam Ramesh on Monday moved the notice against Pradhan, accusing him of making “derogatory” comments against a parliamentary committee that, according to Ramesh, “reveal his contempt for Parliament.””I have given 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 Minister of Education for having lowered the dignity of Parliament and Parliamentary Committees. He has made these outrageous remarks while presiding over the rot in the education ministry that is destroying the future of lakhs of youths 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. “I, therefore, request that privilege proceedings be initiated against Shri Dharmendra Pradhan in this matter,” he stated in the notice.Pradhan made the alleged derogatory remarks at a press conference on May 15, three days after the National Testing Agency (NTA) cancelled the NEET-UG 2026 exam following the paper leak.At the same press conference, Pradhan announced that the re-test will be held on June 21 and said that, from next year, the medical entrance examination will be conducted in online mode.According to Ramesh, Pradhan was asked by journalists why the education ministry had not implemented recommendations made by the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Education in its report on the NTA.“To this question, the minister responded as follows: ‘I will not comment on parliamentary standing committee red flags. I will speak about the High-Level Committee of Experts/Radhakrishnan Committee. The parliamentary standing committee has members from the opposition. They write things in a certain manner, you also know that. Hence, I won’t speak on the standing committee,’” Ramesh wrote.“Parliamentary committees are an extension of the Parliament of India, and are rightly referred to as mini-Parliament. Hence, the Executive’s accountability to the Legislature and its parliamentary committees is a fundamental tenet of India’s democratic polity. The above conduct of the Minister of Education constitutes a grave breach of privilege and contempt of the House. In fact, it is a perfect case of such breach of privilege and contempt and a fit case for action by you since the Standing Committee on Education is one of the eight standing committees of the Rajya Sabha,” he added.The National Eligibility cum Entrance Exam (Undergraduate) was held on May 3 and later cancelled after irregularities came to light. Nearly 23 lakh candidates had registered for the test, which was administered by the agency across the country.(With PTI inputs)
