Delhi High Court Orders Unblocking Of CJP's X Account After Centre Drops Objection
· Free Press Journal
The Delhi High Court on Tuesday ordered the unblocking of the X account of Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) after the Central government informed the court that it had no objection to restoring the account. The decision came after the Centre said the circumstances that led to the blocking of the account no longer existed, paving the way for the satirical group’s return to the platform.
Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma directed that the account be unblocked after Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the Centre, said the government's concerns were linked to the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) and had now become irrelevant. “It was blocked at a time when NEET examination was to take place. Lakhs of students were to appear. Several posts (on X) which would have created chaos among students and parents. Now the examination is over,” Mehta told the court. Justice Sharma then said the account should be unblocked, to which Mehta replied, “I have no difficulty. I just want everyone to be more circumspect.”
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Centre changes stand as court allows plea
The court subsequently allowed the plea filed by CJP founder Abhijit Dipke, who had challenged the government’s blocking order issued on national security grounds. The petition was filed through advocate Nakul Gandhi of NG Law Chambers, Live Law and Bar & Bench report.
During the previous hearing on May 29, the High Court had declined to immediately restore the account, observing that such relief could be granted only after hearing the Centre because the issue had far-reaching consequences. The court had also said it would examine whether X could be directed to place the blocking order on record after the Union government filed a comprehensive response.
On Tuesday, however, the Centre stated that it had no objection to the account being restored, following which the court revoked the blocking order. The Centre had reportedly directed X to withhold the CJP account after receiving Intelligence Bureau (IB) inputs raising “national security concerns”.
From courtroom remark to online movement
The Cockroach Janta Party emerged recently as a satirical online movement and quickly gained popularity on social media, particularly among younger users. The group amassed hundreds of thousands of followers on X and more than 22 million followers on Instagram, reflecting how political satire can rapidly find an audience online.
The movement originated after Supreme Court proceedings on May 15, when a Bench headed by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant expressed concern over unemployed young lawyers moving away from legal practice towards social media and RTI activism.
Experimental HIV Vaccine Shows Breakthrough Promise In Primate Study“There are youngsters like cockroaches who are not getting employment in the profession. Some are on social media, some become RTI activists,” the Chief Justice had said.
He later clarified that the remarks were aimed at individuals entering professions using forged qualifications and fake degrees, and not unemployed young Indians in general.
The collective was started by Dipke, a resident of Boston, US, and uses political satire to comment on issues such as unemployment, institutional accountability and media freedom. It has also been protesting at Jantar Mantar, demanding the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over the alleged leak of NEET and other examination question papers.
The High Court’s order marks the end of the immediate dispute over the account’s suspension. At the same time, the case highlights the continuing debate over balancing concerns related to public order and national security with the space available for satire and online political expression.