Evening news wrap: Rahul Gandhi calls to ‘sack’ Dharmendra Pradhan, Tamil Nadu CM Vijay's cabinet get portfolios & more

• LoP Rahul Gandhi made a public call to sack education minister Dharmendra Pradhan amid the NEET paper leak row.
• The Tamil Nadu Lok Bhavan announced the portfolio allocation for the newly formed Tamil Nadu Cabinet led by CM Vijay.
• CBSE to implement 3-language rule for Class 9 from July 2026, third language will not be part of board exams.
• Amid NEET paper leak row, CBI arrested Pune botany teacher who NTA appointed as expert.
• CJI Surya Kant clarified that his “cockroaches” remark was misquoted and referred only to individuals using fake and bogus degrees, not unemployed youth.

Here are the top 5 news of the day

'Sack Dharmendra Pradhan now': Rahul Gandhi says NEET paper leak 'betrayed' 22 lakh aspirants

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi intensified his attack on the Centre over the NEET-UG 2026 paper leak row, demanding the removal of Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan.Taking to X, Rahul Gandhi said, “Twenty-two lakh NEET kids have been cheated. Yet Modi ji isn't uttering a single word. Remove Dharmendra Pradhan ji right now, or take responsibility yourself.” Read full story

Tamil Nadu cabinet: 10 ministers allotted portfolios, CM Vijay keeps home, police & public administration

The Tamil Nadu Lok Bhavan announced the allocation of portfolios for the newly formed 10-member Cabinet led by Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay. While ministries were distributed among his Cabinet colleagues, Vijay himself retained key departments including public administration, general administration, police, women welfare, and youth development, and also carved out sports development as a separate portfolio. Read full story

CBSE 3-language rule for Class 9 from July 2026: No board exam for third language

CBSE is set to implement a three-language rule for Class 9 from July 2026, under which students will study a third language but it will not be included in board examinations. The move aims to promote multilingual learning while reducing exam pressure, as the third language will be assessed at the school level and kept outside the formal board exam structure. Read full story

NEET paper leak: CBI arrests Pune botany teacher who NTA appointed as expert

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) arrested another alleged mastermind in the NEET-UG 2026 paper leak case, identifying her as the source of leaked Biology questions. The accused, Manisha Gurunath Mandhare, a senior Botany teacher from Pune, was arrested in Delhi after questioning. The agency said she was associated with the examination process and had been appointed by the National Testing Agency (NTA) as an expert with access to Botany and Zoology question papers. Read full story

'Misquoted my oral observations': CJI Surya Kant clarifies 'cockroach' remarks on unemployed youth

Chief Justice of India Surya Kant clarified his recent remarks comparing some unemployed youth to 'cockroaches', asserting that his observations had been 'misquoted' and were specifically aimed at people entering professions using 'fake and bogus degrees.' In a statement issued a day after the remarks triggered controversy, CJI Kant said, "I am pained to read how a section of the media has misquoted my oral observations made during the hearing of a frivolous case yesterday." Read full story