Delhi HC Refuses Immediate Relief To Cockroach Janta Party Over Blocking X Handle: ‘There Are Far Reaching Issues’

Cockroach Janta Party Case: Cockroach Janta Party is again in the headlines. On Friday, the Delhi High Court issued notice to the Union government and X against a petition filed by Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) founder Abhijeet Dipke against the blocking of his party’s X account. However, Judge Purushaindra Kumar Kaurav refused to direct for interim relief for unblocking the account till the next hearing. The court opined that such relief would only be granted after the court listens to the arguments from the Union government because of the wide implications involved.

Cockroach Janta Party case goes to Delhi High Court

On the matter, the court stated, “Your arguments may have some merit. However, all of them need to be looked into. It would be better if we look into them holistically after hearing the other side too. There are wider implications involved,” further saying that it will determine whether X is required to produce the order for blocking the account before the Union of India files its reply in the case.

“Let it be put on record within four weeks from today,” the Bench said in its direction to conduct a hearing on July 6. At the same time, the Court has decided that the blocking order needs to be reviewed. The Court has observed that, according to the law, the review committee should convene every two months. 

“It has been directed that the review committee will take a look at all such issues. Let the decision be put on record,” the Bench ruled. The Court has further observed that, as Dipke is outside India, he can ask for a review by the committee via video conferencing. “Such an issue may be looked into by the review committee,” the Court observed.

What is Cockroach Janta Party case about? 

Abhijeet Dipke has objected to the government’s ban notice, stating that national security grounds were the reason behind banning the handle. As per a report, the Central government had ordered the blocking of the X handle of CJP based on some inputs from the Intelligence Bureau (IB) regarding “national security concerns.”

The MeitY ministry had reportedly sought the suspension of the account on the grounds of Section 69 (A) of the Information Technology Act, 2000.

What do you need to know about Cockroach Janta Party

Cockroach Janta Party is an internet-based satirical group that was formed recently and gained widespread popularity across social networking sites, especially among younger generation users. The online movement saw immense success with lakhs of followers on X and more than 22 million followers on Instagram.

The movement originated in the Supreme Court proceedings conducted on May 15 where the judges led by the Chief Justice of India, CJI Surya Kant, raised doubts about the trend of unemployed lawyers turning into parasites in society by deviating from their profession to engage in social media activity and RTI activism.

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