Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) founder Abhijeet Dipke has revived the phrase that helped launch his youth movement, asking, “What if all legal cockroaches come together?” as controversy erupted over the Bar Council of India’s action against the 2026 graduating batch of NALSAR University of Law. Dipke’s intervention came after the BCI initially directed state bar councils not to enrol NALSAR’s 2026 graduates as advocates until further orders following a student campaign opposing Chief Justice of India Surya Kant’s proposed invitation as chief guest at the university’s convocation. The BCI subsequently withdrew the blanket restriction.
Reacting to the BCI’s initial directive, Dipke posted on X: “What if all legal cockroaches come together?” The line was a play on the slogan associated with the creation of the CJP — “What if all the cockroaches come together?” Dipke was in the United States when he originally used the phrase online after reports surrounding remarks by CJI Surya Kant referring to a section of unemployed youth as “cockroaches”. The Chief Justice later said his remarks had been misunderstood. The online slogan subsequently developed into the Cockroach Janta Party, a satirical youth movement that grew into a wider pressure group and became involved in student-led demonstrations over examination paper leaks, student suicides and demands for reforms in the examination system.
CJP chief spokesperson Saurav Das joined Dipke in attacking the BCI’s move and called for accountability from its chairman, Manan Kumar Mishra. Das questioned Mishra’s record as BCI chairman since 2012 and called upon law students and lawyers to unite and demand accountability from the regulatory body. The CJP used the hashtag “LegalCockroachesUnite” while mobilising opposition to the order.
The organisation described the decision to prevent an entire graduating batch from enrolling as advocates because some students had opposed the CJI’s proposed convocation invitation as disproportionate and indefensible.
The group warned that if the order was not withdrawn, law students, advocates and senior lawyers would protest outside the BCI office and Mishra’s official residence, as well as in different states.
The controversy began after BCI Chairman Mishra wrote to NALSAR Vice-Chancellor Srikrishna Deva Rao and state bar councils directing that no student graduating from NALSAR in 2026 be enrolled as an advocate until further instructions.
The BCI also sought a detailed report from the university identifying students and others allegedly involved in organising or mobilising the campaign against Justice Kant’s proposed participation in the convocation.
Students had objected to the proposed invitation amid criticism surrounding the Chief Justice’s earlier remarks and his handling of matters linked to student protests.
The BCI’s blanket action triggered criticism over whether an entire batch could be professionally penalised for a protest involving only a section of students.
Within hours, the Bar Council reversed the enrolment restriction after discussing the issue.
In its modified communication, the BCI said the “vast majority” of NALSAR’s 2026 graduating students were innocent and were not inclined to participate in any move showing disrespect. It consequently allowed all students from the batch to enrol with state bar councils of their choice.
The council, however, did not close the matter entirely.
It said it would await an inquiry report from the NALSAR Vice-Chancellor before deciding whether any further action was warranted against individuals found to have played a role in the campaign.
The episode carries particular significance for Dipke because Justice Kant’s earlier “cockroach” remark was central to the emergence of the CJP.
Dipke has previously publicly credited the controversy with motivating him to return to India and launch the campaign. During a protest at Jantar Mantar, he thanked Justice Kant, saying he would not have returned to India or started the movement had the remark not been made.
The latest NALSAR controversy has now brought together the same elements — Justice Kant, student dissent and the “cockroach” metaphor — prompting Dipke to recast his original slogan for the legal community.
With the BCI withdrawing its blanket enrolment restriction, the immediate threat to NALSAR graduates has passed. The council’s inquiry, however, means the dispute over the student campaign and the CJI’s proposed convocation invitation remains unresolved.