Sarthak Sidhant, an 18-year-old student from Jharkhand affected by the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE)'s online marking system, advised Cockroach Janta Party founder Abhijeet Dipke to keep the movement focused on a genuine purpose rather than seeking what he called “internet attention". He emphasised that student-led initiatives should channel public anger into constructive and impactful action, according to Hindustan Times.
Sarthak Sidhant discussed the viral online movement that emerged as a satirical reaction to the Chief Justice of India Surya Kant's recent remarks. While stating that he would “not get political”, he underscored that any student-led party or campaign should be rooted in "an actual cause".
Reflecting on the efforts that brought attention to the issue, he highlighted the difference between activism backed by research and movements driven primarily by social media trends. He mentioned, “Like I did some investigation, Nisarg did some investigation - we put it out to help students.”
Sidhant also referred to Vedant Shrivastava during the conversation. Sidhant, Vedant Shrivastava and “ethical hacker” Nisarga Adhikary gained prominence after identifying discrepancies in CBSE Class 12 marksheets and raising concerns about the board’s OSM evaluation system. The three teenagers became leading voices in a wider wave of student dissatisfaction surrounding this year’s NEET-UG 2026 exam paper leak and other examination controversies.
Sidhant warned against confining activism solely to the digital sphere, arguing that while "internet activism is okay", "sitting on their back seats and not doing anything is not". He said he would not endorse any movement whose primary objective is to gain attention online rather than drive meaningful participation.
Elaborating on his view, as per the HT report, Sidhant stated, “Yes, internet activism is okay. What I did, what Nisarg did, what Vedant did was internet activism in general. But I would say they are sitting on their back seats and if they're not doing anything, they're not actively participating in anything, that is a bad thing,” emphasising that online advocacy should be accompanied by active engagement and tangible efforts.
On Tuesday, Sidhant appeared before a parliamentary panel to raise concerns about alleged irregularities in the tendering process used to appoint vendors for online evaluation of Class 12 examination papers. PTI sources said that Sidhant, who was also a Class 12 examinee, highlighted perceived flaws in the CBSE's vendor selection process and submitted a series of questions for the board's consideration.
He also put forward a seven-page report detailing his findings to the Parliamentary Committee on Education, Women, Children, Youth and Sports, chaired by Congress MP Digvijaya Singh. According to sources, Singh listened to the presentation and sought explanations from CBSE officials regarding the issues raised.
Sarthak made his presentation in the presence of CBSE Chairman Rahul Singh, School Education Secretary Sanjay Kumar, and other officials from the Ministry of Education and the board. During the meeting, CBSE submitted a report to the parliamentary panel outlining its position on the issues raised by students and informed MPs that the technical glitches on its portal had been resolved. The board also said students would be allowed until June 6 to apply for re-evaluation of their answer sheets.
The meeting took place at the Parliament House Annexe against the backdrop of growing student concerns over portal glitches, alleged evaluation inconsistencies, and difficulties encountered during the post-result verification process for Class 12 examinations.
