Delhi High Court on Tuesday directed the unblocking of the Cockroach Janta Party’s X account after the Centre said the social media handle was withheld to avoid “chaos” ahead of the June 21 NEET-UG retest and that it had no objection to its restoration.
Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma passed the order while allowing CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke’s petition challenging the government’s action.
The CJP account was withheld on May 21, five days after its launch, after it garnered millions of followers within a short time.
Appearing in court for the Centre, solicitor-general Tushar Mehta submitted that the action was aimed at avoiding “chaos” among students and parents ahead of the NEET-UG retest. The earlier exam was cancelled following a paper leak.
Following Mehta’s oral submission, Justice Sharma said: “Since the NEET is already over, the primary concern is no longer of any relevance. In these circumstances, the order is revoked. The petition is allowed.”
Conceived and created by Dipke, a Boston University student and former AAP social media communication strategist, the online satirical platform went viral within a short time, prompting several prominent politicians and personalities to align with it.
Cockroach was thrust into the spotlight after Chief Justice Surya Kant’s controversial comments, allegedly comparing unemployed youths drifting towards activism with cockroaches and parasites.
The CJI later clarified that he was “misquoted” by the media, but by then the comment had triggered a massive online backlash.
On May 29, the high court had refused to order the restoration of the CJP’s handle but asked a review committee under the ministry of electronics and information technology to examine the issue and take a decision before July 7.
The reason for blocking the account was never made public. The Centre also did not file a written reply to Dipke’s petition challenging the government’s decision.
When Dipke appeared before the review committee, he was told that the handle was withheld in view of national security.
Dipke on Tuesday questioned the Centre’s “contradictory” stand before the court.
“When our account was blocked, the government claimed that we were a threat to national security. Today, before the court, it says it blocked the handle because our posts could create unrest among students and parents during the NEET exam,” Dipke told reporters following the hearing.
“These contradictory statements are absurd. Had we posted anything wrong or illegal, our account should have been blocked. But we were only raising the voice of the country’s youth. Blocking our account without any warning was completely unjustified,” he added.
Education reform and climate activist Sonam Wangchuk, who has been on a hunger strike for the last 10 days as part of the CJP protest demanding education minister Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation over exam lapses, also welcomed the court’s decision. “We hope this peaceful rebellion is heard by the government and that such non-violent methods are rewarded, not punished. Otherwise, people will lose faith in peaceful protest,” he said.