'Don’t take it sentimentally': CJI declines urgent hearing on plea seeking probe into Cockroach Janta Party

The Supreme Court on Monday refused an urgent hearing of a plea seeking a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into the activities of people linked to the “Cockroach Janta Party” (CJP).

CJI, a satirical online movement, emerged after Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant made some remarks earlier this month.

During the hearing, Advocate NK Goswami, appearing for the petitioner, told the court that the movement was damaging the image of the judiciary, according to a report by Bar and Bench.

In response, a Bench of CJI Surya Kant, Justice Joymalya Bagchi and Justice Vipul M Pancholi said, “Don't take it so sentimentally.”

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Another lawyer informed the Bench that the petitioners were seeking a CBI investigation into alleged fake law degrees and misuse of courtroom exchanges for commercial purposes.

The CJI replied, “There is no such grave urgency. We will see.”

The plea was filed by Advocate Raja Choudhary.

What the petition says

The petition seeks a probe into alleged fake advocates and fraudulent law degrees of individuals associated with the movement.

It also asks for action against what it describes as the commercial exploitation and monetised circulation of oral courtroom observations made during recent Supreme Court proceedings.

According to the plea, certain metaphorical references made during courtroom exchanges were later selectively clipped, turned into memes, commercially circulated and amplified online without proper constitutional or legal context.

However, the petition clarifies that it is not against criticism of the judiciary, satire, democratic dissent or free speech protected under Article 19(1)(a) of the Constitution.

Instead, it alleges:

• organised commercial exploitation,
• trademark-commercialisation,
• monetised viral circulation,
• meme-based distortion, and
• algorithm-driven amplification of courtroom remarks.

How the controversy began

The “Cockroach Janta Party” emerged after the CJI expressed concern over unemployed young lawyers moving away from legal practice towards social media and RTI activism.

The CJI had said, “There are youngsters like cockroaches who are not getting employment in the profession. Some are on social media, some become RTI activists.”

The remarks triggered criticism online, especially among young users.

Later, the CJI clarified that his observations were directed at people entering professions using forged qualifications and fake degrees, and not unemployed youth in general. He also said he was “pained” by how sections of the media had interpreted his remarks.

Rise of the Cockroach Janta Party

The “Cockroach Janta Party” has evolved from a satirical social media page into a wider online campaign focused on issues such as unemployment, institutional accountability and freedom of expression.

The movement was launched on May 16 by Abhijeet Dipke, an Indian student based in Boston, USA. Dipke studied journalism in Pune and is currently pursuing higher studies in public relations at Boston University.

He launched the movement just hours after the CJI’s remarks went viral online.