The founder of the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), Abhijeet Dipke, has filed a petition in the Delhi High Court against the blocking of the CJP’s account on the social media platform X. The account was reportedly blocked following a government directive citing national security concerns. The legal challenge is being pursued by Advocate Nakul Gandhi from NG Law Chambers and is anticipated to be heard by the court later this week.
As reported by The Indian Express, the Central government issued the order to block the CJP’s X account after receiving inputs from the Intelligence Bureau (IB) highlighting potential national security risks. Subsequently, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) instructed X to restrict access to the account under Section 69(A) of the Information Technology Act, 2000, which allows the government to block public access to any information through any computer resource in the interest of sovereignty, integrity, defense, security of the state, friendly relations with foreign states, or public order.
The Cockroach Janta Party emerged recently as a satirical online movement, quickly gaining a substantial following across various social media platforms. The movement particularly resonates with younger audiences, amassing hundreds of thousands of followers on X and over 22 million followers on Instagram. It began in response to remarks made during Supreme Court proceedings on May 15, where Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant expressed concern over young lawyers turning away from their legal careers to engage in social media and Right to Information (RTI) activism.
In his remarks, CJI Kant metaphorically referred to these individuals as “youngsters like cockroaches” who were becoming societal burdens. He later clarified that his comments were aimed at those entering professional fields with falsified qualifications and not at unemployed youth in general.
Abhijeet Dipke, who resides in Boston, USA, initiated the Cockroach Janta Party as a form of political satire. The movement addresses various societal issues including unemployment, the need for institutional accountability, and media freedom, using humor and satire as its tools for commentary.
