Cockroach Janta Party under legal scanner as PIL filed in SC over alleged misuse of judicial comments: What did it say? | Today’s news
According to ANI, a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) has been filed in the Supreme Court against ‘Cockroach Janta Party’ Abhijeet Dipke for allegedly misusing and commercializing the words of the Supreme Court, reports ANI.
The petition also called for an independent investigation, preferably by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), into allegations that individuals posing as lawyers with fraudulent degrees are practicing law.
“The emergence of entities and token campaigns purporting to use courtroom terms for publicity, business applications, commercial engagement, and digital mobilization demonstrates a dangerous commodification of constitutional proceedings,” the lawsuit states.
‘Cockroach Rally’ in Tamil Nadu
In an unusual and emotionally charged protest, hundreds of unemployed youths marched in Madurai on Sunday in what PTI described as the first ever “cockroach rally in Tamil Nadu”.
The protest was held to express anger over rising unemployment and controversial remarks by a senior Supreme Court judge who allegedly compared unemployed youth to cockroaches.
Read also | The Cockroach Janta Party website no longer exists; founder says “cockroaches never die”
The rally was jointly organized by the Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI) and the Students Federation of India (SFI) and also received support from followers of the ‘Cockroach Janata Party’, a satirical social media platform that has recently gained widespread attention online.
The march started from the Gandhi Museum campus and ended with a large demonstration near the Tamil Annai statue at Thamukkam Grounds.
Hundreds of educated unemployed graduates marched with placards with messages such as “We want jobs, we want life, we want respect”.
Read also | Bar Council advocates debunking CJI ‘cockroach’ – 40% of lawyers have fake degrees
Several protesters also displayed posters describing the event as a “Rally of Unemployed Cockroaches”. Protesters raised slogans against the Narendra Modi-led central government, accusing it of failing to fulfill its promise to create 20 million jobs every year.
They also criticized the government for the sharp rise in prices of petrol, diesel and basic commodities.
Meanwhile, Indian National Congress (INC) leaders in Maharashtra have accused the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of suppressing public dissent, claiming the government blocked the social media accounts of the CJP’s satirical digital platform following an intelligence agency report warning of possible public unrest.
Read also | ‘Fear inherent in today’s politics’: parents of CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke
Former Maharashtra Congress presidents Nana Patole and Balasaheb Thorat alleged that instead of addressing the concerns of the youth, the poor and the unemployed, the government was trying to quell growing public anger.
What is Cockroach Janata Party?
The Cockroach Janata Party, as the satirical movement is known, was founded by Abhijeet Dipke, a Boston University student who was previously associated with the Aam Aadmi Party. Although the outfit was only launched a week ago, it has already attracted more than 19 million followers on Instagram.
The platform emerged last week after a controversy erupted over remarks allegedly made by Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant about “cockroaches” and “parasites” during a court hearing related to the “senior” appointment of a lawyer.
The CJI later clarified that his observations were aimed at individuals joining the legal profession using “false and bogus degrees”, he was misquoted.
Earlier this week, the CJP launched a campaign seeking the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over the NEET-UG paper leak issue.
Several politicians and activists have shown support for or collaborated with the movement, including Mahua Moitra, Kirti Azad and Akhilesh Yadav, along with activists such as Prashant Bhushan and Anjali Bharadwaj.
