The Allahabad High Court has declined to hear a petition seeking comprehensive investigations into the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) and the extradition of its founder, Abhijeet Dipke, from the United States to India. On Tuesday, the bench comprised of Justice Shekhar B Saraf and Justice Abdesh Kumar Chaudhary advised the petitioner, Vignesh Shishir, a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) worker from Karnataka, to approach the Karnataka High Court instead.
The judges remarked that since Shishir is a resident of Bengaluru, Karnataka, he should have initially sought relief from the Karnataka High Court. “Upon reviewing the writ petition, it is evident that the petitioner resides permanently in Bengaluru as indicated in both the cause title and affidavit. Considering the issue’s national significance, the appropriate legal forum is the Karnataka High Court,” the bench stated.
The court further pointed out that the case had no direct connection to Uttar Pradesh. “We find no specific issues related to the State of Uttar Pradesh in this writ petition. Therefore, the petition is not maintainable in this Court due to the principle of forum non conveniens,” the bench explained.
Following these observations, Shishir opted to withdraw his plea. The court granted this request, allowing him the liberty to file a new criminal public interest writ petition in a court with the appropriate jurisdiction.
The Cockroach Janta Party emerged recently as a satirical movement among young social media users. However, the Indian government has instructed X Corp to suspend its Twitter account, citing security concerns. Shishir’s petition called for the blocking of all CJP-related social media accounts across platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Telegram, WhatsApp, and Signal. Additionally, it sought the removal of content associated with Dipke and CJP that allegedly misrepresents Supreme Court observations.
The CJP movement arose from Supreme Court proceedings on May 15, during which Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant expressed concerns about unemployed youth engaging in social media and RTI activism. In his remarks, CJI Kant compared such individuals to “cockroaches,” implying they were becoming a societal burden. He later clarified that his comments targeted those with fake degrees involved in such activities.
In his petition, Shishir urged the court to establish a special investigation team (SIT) comprised of senior intelligence and investigative officers under the Ministry of Home Affairs. This team would investigate the alleged “foreign-funded information warfare campaign” led by the CJP and its founder Dipke. The petition further requested the National Investigation Agency (NIA) and the Enforcement Directorate (ED) to register criminal cases against Dipke and others involved. It also sought a Look-Out Circular and the initiation of extradition proceedings to return Dipke to India.
Previously, Shishir filed petitions in the Allahabad High Court questioning the citizenship of Rahul Gandhi, Leader of the Opposition, and alleging that Gandhi possesses assets disproportionate to his known income sources.
