Dipke moves Delhi high court against blocking of X account

CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke challenges the blocking of the party's X account, emerging from controversy over remarks by the Chief Justice of India.

Satirical political outfit Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) founder Abhijeet Dipke on Monday moved the Delhi High Court challenging the blocking of the party’s official X account.

Founder Abhijeet Dipke said his “iconic website”, cockroachjantaparty.org, had been taken down. (AP)

The petition, filed through advocate Nakul Gandhi, contests the May 21 decision to withhold the account.

The outfit emerged amid controversy surrounding remarks attributed to Chief Justice of India Surya Kant during a hearing on conferring “senior” designation on lawyers, in which “youngsters” were allegedly referred to as “cockroaches” and “parasites”. The CJI later clarified that his remarks had been misquoted and were directed at individuals entering the legal profession with “fake and bogus degrees”.

Five days after its launch and rapid rise on social media, CJP’s X account was withheld. Users attempting to access the handle @CJP_2029 encountered a notice stating that the account had been “withheld in India in response to a legal demand”. Dipke later shared a screenshot of the notice on social media, describing the move as “expected”.

The blocking came at a time when CJP had emerged as one of the country’s fastest-growing online trends. Hours later, the group appeared to resurface under a new handle, “Cockroach is back”, posting: “You thought you can get rid of us? Lol.”

Leaders from opposition parties said the popularity of the campaign reflected rising frustration among unemployed youth and accused the government of failing to address concerns over jobs and inflation. Some Congress and Left-leaning social media handles also shared memes and posts linked to the campaign, describing it as a “digital protest” against the political establishment.