Cockroach Janta Party Founder Files Delhi High Court Plea Against X and Centre Over Account Block

The Delhi High Court has been approached by Abhijeet Dipke, the founder of the Cockroach Janta Party, following the suspension of the political satire group's official X (formerly Twitter) account. Dipke alleges that the platform blocked the account on national security grounds.

This legal move comes after Dipke claimed that the party's presence on both X and Instagram had been compromised by hackers prior to the enforcement of the ban.

Taking to his personal X handle to share the update, Dipke stated, “Cockroach Janta Party’s official Instagram account has been hacked. We have lost access to the account.”

Satirical Movement Sparks Viral Attention

The Cockroach Janta Party rapidly gained a massive digital footprint through its sharp political satire and online campaigns. The content resonated widely across various social media platforms, capturing the attention of younger demographics and meme communities.

According to Dipke, the abrupt blocking of the official X account occurred shortly after the suspected hacking incident. Seeking immediate relief, he has turned to the Delhi High Court to contest the suspension and demand the restoration of the account.

The developing case is poised to ignite broader conversations regarding the protocols of social media suspensions, digital platform security, and the specific procedures deployed when national security concerns are cited. Currently, neither X nor government authorities have issued public statements regarding the allegations.

Supreme Court Declines Urgent Hearing

In a parallel development, the controversy reached the highest court of the land. Chief Justice of India Surya Kant advised an advocate against taking the 'Cockroach Janta Party' (CJP) matter "sentimentally" after the lawyer pushed for an expedited hearing of his petition.

"Don't take it so sentimentally," the CJI remarked to the petitioner, who requested legal action and a formal investigation into the viral movement and related social media accounts for the alleged misuse of courtroom recordings.

On Monday, the advocate presented a writ petition before the Supreme Court addressing the ongoing friction around the recent "cockroach" comments. He argued that a "distorted and malicious narrative" was being actively propagated despite previous clarifications provided by the CJI.

"Even after the clarification of the Hon'ble Chief Justice of India, a distorted and malicious narrative is being spread... the image of the institution is being demonised," the advocate submitted before the Bench led by CJI Kant.

Dismissing the urgency of the request, the CJI responded, "There is no such great emergency. We will consider it."

Monitoring Misuse of Courtroom Remarks

Beyond the social media ban, the petition sought stringent action against individuals allegedly capitalizing commercially on oral observations made during judicial proceedings. Additionally, it called for a comprehensive probe into individuals practicing law in Delhi using fraudulent degrees. The root of the controversy stems from a previous hearing concerning a lawyer's petition for a senior advocate designation in the Delhi High Court. During that session, the CJI had observed, "There are already parasites of society who attack the system, and you want to join hands with them?"

Directing his comments toward specific online commentators, Chief Justice Kant noted:

"There are youngsters like cockroaches, who don't get any employment and don't have any place in profession. Some of them become media, some of them become social media, some of them become RTI activists, some of them become other activists, and they start attacking everyone."

The CJI emphasized that the judiciary is actively keeping tabs on digital platforms targeting the legal system. "The things they are posting on Facebook, YouTube etc - do they think we are not watching?" he questioned. Furthermore, Justice Kant expressed "serious doubts" regarding the validity of the law degrees held by certain advocates practicing within the capital.

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