In a legal setback for the Cockroach Janta Party, the Delhi High Court on Friday declined to immediately direct restoration of the X account of Abhijeet Dipke-led Cockroach Janata Party (CJP).
The court found some content posted on the social media account to be “slightly offensive”, and refused to grant immediate relief on the plea by founder Dipke.
The court said that the issue required “holistic consideration” and that any order would be passed only after hearing what the government and the X platform has to say.
The bench, led by Justice Purushaindra Kumar Kaurav, reportedly assured the Centre's counsel that the court would hear the government's submissions before passing any order.
Abhijeet Dipke was represented by advocate Akhil Sibal, who sought the restoration of CJP's X account, even as he said he was fine if some of the allegedly offensive posts remained blocked.
To support his argument, Sibal mentioned previous such cases in which the court granted interim relief. “There seems to be a slight difference between other cases and in this case.. In this case what seems to be the reason is that the entire activity is per se slightly offending,” the bench said in response, according to a Bar and Bench report.
{{/usCountry}}To support his argument, Sibal mentioned previous such cases in which the court granted interim relief. “There seems to be a slight difference between other cases and in this case.. In this case what seems to be the reason is that the entire activity is per se slightly offending,” the bench said in response, according to a Bar and Bench report.
{{/usCountry}}While the court refused to immediately grant relief in the case, it presented Dipke with an opportunity to present his case before the Centre’s review committee responsible for examining orders blocking social media accounts.
What was the case?
The CJP, that started at satirical outfit but gained prominence among the Indian youth and Opposition parties recently, had alleged that is social media handle on X was withheld.
Abhijeet Dipke had shared a screenshot of the pop up showing when opening the X account and wrote in the caption, “As expected Cockroach Janta Party’s account has been withheld in India.” The development had coincided with the CJP's immense rise on social media, surpassing a national party like the BJP on Instagram.
The party was launched as a joke after remarks by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant calling some of the country's youth “cockroaches” sparked a controversy. However, many people, especially the youth, soon resonated with the outfit and term “cockroaches”, giving the CJP a big boost.
Days after X withheld the CJP's account, Abhijeet Dipke also made similar claims for its Instagram account and website.