Supreme Court Seeks Centre’s Reply on Plea for CBI Probe Into ‘Cockroach Janta Party’
The petition alleges that remarks made during court proceedings were taken out of context and commercially turned into viral content.
The Supreme Court on Tuesday, August 11, sought the Centre’s response to a petition seeking a Central Bureau of Investigation probe into the activities of the satirical Cockroach Janta Party, or CJP, and the alleged commercial exploitation of remarks made during court proceedings.
A Bench headed by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, along with Justices V. Mohana and Joymalya Bagchi, issued notice on the petition filed by Supreme Court advocate Raja Choudhary.
The case is linked to a remark made by Chief Justice Kant during a hearing on May 15. The remark came during a discussion involving unemployed youth, fake law degrees and activism through the Right to Information Act.
The CJI later clarified that his words had been misquoted. However, a short video clip of the exchange spread widely on social media and eventually inspired the formation of the satirical Cockroach Janta Party.
The group later organised protests demanding accountability and calling for the resignation of the then Union Education Minister in connection with allegations surrounding NEET paper leaks.
The petition claims that portions of courtroom exchanges have been selectively edited, turned into memes and imitations, and circulated for commercial gain. It argues that such content removes the remarks from their legal and constitutional context and presents court proceedings as entertainment.
Advocate Rajesh Singh Chouhan, appearing for the petitioner, told the Court that the plea was not intended to challenge freedom of speech, satire or democratic criticism.
Instead, the petition focuses on what it describes as an organised effort to commercially exploit oral observations made during court hearings and convert them into viral spectacles.
The plea also described the use of the word “cockroach” as a metaphor arising from institutional concerns over declining professional standards among lawyers. It referred to literary and constitutional examples involving animal imagery, including Franz Kafka’s Metamorphosis, as well as expressions such as “jungle raj” and “watchdog”.
The petitioner has asked the Court to direct the authorities to investigate and take appropriate action against entities allegedly involved in commercially using oral observations made during judicial proceedings, including activities associated with the Cockroach Janta Party.
The hearing was conducted in a restricted manner, with access limited to people physically present inside the Supreme Court.