The Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) expanded its campaign against the education ministry on Thursday with a protest in Pune, where it renewed its demand for the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and unveiled a fresh set of reforms aimed at addressing examination-related issues.
The Pune gathering, attended by around 1,000 people, marked the beginning of a wider nationwide campaign. The group announced that similar demonstrations will be organised in Lucknow, Amritsar, Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Jaipur and Delhi between June 12 and June 20.
During the event, CJP outlined five key demands, arguing that repeated exam cancellations, paper leaks, evaluation controversies and administrative delays have placed an unfair burden on students across the country.
The first demand focuses on financial compensation for students affected by disrupted examinations. According to CJP, candidates often spend significant amounts on travel, accommodation, coaching and study materials, only to see exams cancelled or postponed. The organisation proposed a compensation of ₹10,000 for every student impacted by an exam cancellation, leak or disruption. It also suggested an additional ₹10,000 per month if results are delayed beyond one month.
Another proposal calls for authorities to keep backup examination dates ready before conducting major tests. Under this system, any examination affected by a leak, technical failure or other disruption would be reconducted within 72 hours.
CJP also raised concerns about the growing use of digital evaluation systems. The organisation argued that answer sheets written on paper should continue to be checked manually until educational institutions and examination centres across the country have access to reliable technological infrastructure. It said a fully digital evaluation process should only be adopted after such facilities are uniformly available.
The fourth demand seeks automatic age relaxation for candidates affected by exam delays. CJP said students should not lose eligibility for jobs or recruitment opportunities because of administrative lapses. It proposed that any delay in examinations or results should be added to the upper age limit for affected candidates.
The final demand relates to computer-based examinations. The organisation called for mandatory independent audits of examination centres at least seven days before every test. These audits would assess hardware, software, internet connectivity and overall infrastructure. Centres failing the audit, CJP said, should be replaced immediately to avoid disruptions on exam day.
The party maintained that these measures are necessary to improve accountability in the examination system and protect students from the consequences of administrative failures.
