The Delhi High Court on Tuesday directed the restoration of the X account of the satirical online collective Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) after the Union government informed the court that it had no objection to lifting the block. Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma passed the order after Solicitor General Tushar Mehta submitted that the account had been withheld during the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) to prevent social media posts that could create confusion among the lakhs of students appearing for the examination. With the exam now over, the Centre said there was no reason to continue the restriction, prompting the court to order the account's reinstatement.
The order came on a petition filed by CJP founder Abhijit Dipke, challenging the government's decision to block the account under Section 69A of the Information Technology Act. The account had reportedly been withheld following intelligence inputs citing national security concerns. During an earlier hearing in May, the High Court had declined to grant immediate relief, observing that the matter had wider implications and required the Centre's response before any interim direction could be issued. Following the government's revised stand on Tuesday, the court allowed the petition and directed that the account be restored.
The Cockroach Janta Party emerged earlier this year as a social media satire collective commenting on unemployment, governance and institutional accountability. Its name was inspired by remarks made by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant during a Supreme Court hearing, comments that were later clarified as referring to individuals entering professions using forged qualifications rather than unemployed youth. Founded by Boston-based Abhijit Dipke, the collective has built a significant online following and has also organised protests, including demonstrations at Delhi's Jantar Mantar over alleged irregularities in competitive examinations such as NEET.