The Supreme Court on Tuesday sought responses from the Centre, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the Bar Council of India (BCI) on a petition alleging that oral observations made by Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant were taken out of context and commercially exploited, including through content linked to the satirical Cockroach Janta Party (CJP).
A bench headed by CJI Surya Kant and comprising Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana issued notices on the plea filed by lawyer Raja Choudhary. The petition also seeks a probe into allegations involving fake advocates, fraudulent law degrees and individuals associated with CJP.
What is the plea about?
The petition relates to observations made during a May 15 hearing, when the bench was discussing concerns about professional standards in the legal profession, including alleged misuse of judicial processes and the conferment of Senior Advocate designations.
According to the plea, portions of the proceedings containing metaphorical references to “cockroaches” were later edited, taken out of context and circulated as memes and other digital content. The petitioner alleged that the material was subsequently monetised across social media platforms.
“Oral observations of constitutional courts cannot be transformed into commercially exploited digital content or for a viral political spectacle," petitioner-cum-advocate Raja Choudhary told the bench, according to The Times Of India.
The plea argues that the issue is not about criticism of the judiciary, political satire or free speech, but what it describes as organised commercial exploitation, trademark appropriation and monetisation of courtroom observations.
What was CJI Surya Kant’s ‘cockroach’ remark?
The controversy stems from the May 15 proceedings, during which the bench was discussing young people who, according to the court, were moving towards social media and RTI activism instead of pursuing legal practice.
“There are youngsters like cockroaches who are not getting employment in the profession. Some are on social media, some become RTI activists," CJI Kant said.
The remark drew a strong reaction on social media and later became the basis for the formation of the Cockroach Janta Party, a satirical online collective that gained significant attention among younger users.
The CJI subsequently clarified that the observation was directed at people allegedly entering professions using forged qualifications and fake degrees, rather than unemployed young Indians generally.
Plea seeks action over alleged commercial use
CJP later expanded its activities into political protests, including a demonstration at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar over the NEET-UG paper leak and other examination-related issues.
The petition says the group has attracted a large social media following, citing hundreds of thousands of followers on X and more than 22 million on Instagram.
It also seeks action against those allegedly involved in the commercial use and circulation of courtroom observations. At the same time, the plea says it does not seek to restrict criticism of courts, democratic dissent, satire or free speech under Article 19(1)(a) of the Constitution.