The Delhi High Court on Friday issued notice to the Union government and microblogging platform X on a petition challenging the blocking of the X account of Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), but declined to pass any interim order for immediate restoration of the account.
Justice Purushaindra Kumar Kaurav observed that the matter involves far-reaching consequences and wider ramifications, and therefore any relief for restoration of the account could be considered only after hearing the Central government.
“There may be some substance in your submissions but they all need to be considered. They will be considered holistically after hearing the other side. There are far reaching issues. There are wider ramifications,” the judge remarked.
The Court directed the Union government to file its response within four weeks and listed the matter for further hearing on 6 July 2026. It also directed the review committee to examine the blocking order as per the relevant rules and place its decision on record. The Court noted that the petitioner, who is currently abroad, may request to appear before the review committee through video conferencing.
The petition was filed by AAP supporter Abhijeet Dipke, founder of the satirical online group named Cockroach Janta Party, through Advocate Nakul Gandhi. Senior Advocate Akhil Sibal, along with advocates Vrinda Grover and Nakul Gandhi, represented the petitioner.
The Cockroach Janta Party’s X account was blocked by the Central government citing national security concerns, following inputs from the Intelligence Bureau. The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) had directed X to withhold the account under Section 69A of the Information Technology Act, 2000.
During the hearing, Senior Advocate Akhil Sibal argued that CJP was a work of “pure satire” and sought interim restoration of the account during the pendency of the petition. He submitted that in similar cases, accounts had been unblocked or partial restrictions imposed.
However, the Bench declined to pass such an order at this stage, noting that the law on such issues is still developing. The Court also highlighted the lack of clarity regarding the specific reasons for blocking the account, observing that neither the petitioner nor the Court had seen the blocking order.
Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, representing the Central government, appeared in the matter along with Additional Solicitor General Chetan Sharma and other counsel. The government is expected to present its detailed response in the coming weeks.
Cockroach Janta Party emerged as a satirical online movement earlier this month, gaining significant traction among young users on social media. It was inspired by remarks made by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant during a Supreme Court hearing on 15 May 2026, where he had referred to certain unemployed young lawyers as “cockroaches” drifting towards social media and RTI activism. The CJI later clarified that his comments were directed at individuals entering the profession with fake degrees, not unemployed youth in general.
While the group was founded based on the comments of the CJI, it emerged as an anti-BJP entity. Since its appearance, the group has been targeting the BJP and the NDA government, not the judiciary.
