No urgent relief for Cockroach Janata Party over X ban: Delhi HC

Abhijeet Dipke, the founder of Cockroach Janta Party and, rightly, the mascot of the online outfit. | Photo credit: Special arrangement

The Delhi High Court on Friday (May 29, 2026) refused immediate relief to Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) founder Abhijeet Dipke to block Party X on national security grounds.

Justice Purushaindra Kumar Kaurav said such relief can be granted only after hearing the government as the matter has far-reaching implications. The court issued a notice to the central government and posted the case to July 6.

Meanwhile, the court said Mr. Dipke could approach the review board set up under the IT rules through video conferencing while he was abroad. The review committee meets at least once in two months and records its findings whether the directions to block content or information issued under these rules, the court said.

“It is directed that before the next date of hearing, the review committee will examine all these aspects. The decision has been taken on record. The petitioner (Mr. Dipke) is at liberty to appear virtually,” the court ordered.

During the hearing, senior advocate Akhil Sibal, appearing for Mr Dipke, said the CJP’s account was “pure satire” and if there were any inappropriate tweets, only those could have been blocked instead of the entire account being suspended.

Seeking to temporarily unblock the handle, Mr. Dipke’s counsel urged the court to review the blocking order, which he said had not yet been served on him.

However, Justice Kaurav observed that the stay order was not recorded and would consider the petitioner’s application after the Center filed its reply to the plea as the case had issues of “broader implications”.

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta said that allowing the CJP’s handle to be unblocked at this stage would mean allowing his petition.

CJP’s original X handle was seized in India on May 21, after which the group resurfaced with a new handle, “The Cockroach is Back”, which currently has over 2,35,000 followers.

Launched on May 16, the CJP says it wants to build an independent youth-led movement to deepen youth concerns and hold the government accountable.

It recently launched a campaign demanding the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over alleged systemic failures in the education sector and the “NEET-UG 2026 document leak”.

Mr Dipke, who was earlier associated with the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), launched the CJP amid a controversy over remarks attributed to Chief Justice of India Surya Kant about “cockroaches” and “parasites” during a May 15 hearing on a plea regarding the appointment of a senior lawyer.

Published – 29 May 2026 11:43 IST