The Allahabad High Court is set to hear a public interest litigation (PIL) on Tuesday, 2nd May that seeks action against the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP), a social media-based movement that gained attention last month. The petition also asks for the extradition of CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke from the United States to India.
The matter has been listed before a Bench of Justice Shekhar B. Saraf and Justice Abdesh Kumar Chaudhary. The petition has been filed by BJP worker S. Vignesh Shishir.
Demand for social media ban
In the plea, Shishir has requested the Court to direct authorities to block all social media accounts linked to Dipke and the CJP. These include accounts on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Telegram, WhatsApp, Signal and other platforms.
The petitioner has also sought the removal of videos, posts, reels and other online content connected to Dipke and the CJP, claiming that such content misuses, twists or incorrectly presents observations made by the Supreme Court.
Call for multi-agency investigation
The PIL seeks the formation of a Special Investigation Team (SIT) under the supervision of the Ministry of Home Affairs. According to the plea, the team should include senior officers from intelligence and investigative agencies to examine what it describes as a foreign-funded information warfare campaign linked to the CJP and its founder.
The petition further asks for criminal cases to be registered against Dipke and others by agencies such as the National Investigation Agency (NIA) and the Enforcement Directorate (ED).
In addition, the petitioner has requested the issuance of a Look-Out Circular against Dipke and the start of extradition proceedings to bring him back to India from the United States.
How the Cockroach Janata Party began
The Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) emerged as a satirical online movement among young social media users after Supreme Court proceedings held on 15th May.
During the hearing, Chief Justice of India Surya Kant expressed concern about unemployed youth moving towards social media activity and RTI-related activism. In his oral remarks, he said that such youngsters, “like cockroaches,” were becoming parasites in society.
The Chief Justice later clarified that his comments were aimed at people with fake degrees who engage in such activities, and not at all unemployed youth.
Soon after, the term was picked up online, leading to the creation of the Cockroach Janata Party, which quickly gained popularity across social media platforms.
Government action and claims in the petition
The Union government had earlier directed X Corp to take down the CJP’s account on twitter, citing security concerns.
In his petition, Shishir has claimed that the CJP is a foreign deep-state funded organisation working against India’s sovereignty, integrity and security. He has also claimed that former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal appears to be the “invisible hand” behind the online movement.
The plea further states that Dipke has been giving tasks and targets to his followers and supporters, which, according to the petitioner, is aimed at creating a mass movement against the Government of India and judicial institutions. The petition argues that such activities amount to waging a war against the country.
