India, June 2 -- It was, by any measure, a remarkable day for a 17-year-old. Sarthak Sidhant began it as a Class 12 student and blogger from Ranchi, Jharkhand, who had gained attention after investigating the board that administered his exams. By Tuesday night he had deposed before a parliamentary committee, watched the government move against the CBSE's top brass, and received solidarity from the Leader of the Opposition.

That last bit came when Congress MP Rahul Gandhi met Sarthak Sidhant and his family members, and posted on X: "Sarthak, stay firm on your principles ('sidhant')," tagging it #TenderInvestigator - a nod to the teenager's trawl through tender documents.

It was the second exam whistleblower Gandhi had backed in three day...