The Delhi High Court on Friday issued notices to the Centre and X on a petition filed by Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) founder Abhijeet Dipke challenging the blocking of the party’s X account.
However, Justice Purushaindra Kumar Kaurav refused to order the immediate restoration of the account, saying such relief could only be considered after hearing the government because the matter has wider implications.
The court said Dipke’s arguments may have merit, but added that the issue needs to be examined fully after hearing all sides.
Court seeks Centre’s response
The High Court said it would consider whether X could be directed to place the blocking order on record after the Centre submits a detailed reply.
The Union government has been asked to file its response within four weeks. The next hearing has been scheduled for July 6.
The court also noted that neither it nor the petitioner had seen the blocking order so far.
Review panel to examine blocking order
Meanwhile, the court directed that the blocking order be reviewed by the committee formed under the Information Technology Rules.
The Bench noted that the review committee is required to meet every two months and has the power to examine all aspects related to blocking orders.
Since Dipke is currently outside India, the court said he may request permission to appear before the committee through video conferencing.
‘Account blocked over national security concerns’
Dipke has challenged the government’s decision to block the CJP X account on national security grounds.
According to reports, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) ordered X to withhold the account under Section 69A of the Information Technology Act after receiving Intelligence Bureau inputs raising national security concerns.
The petition challenging the move was filed through Advocate Nakul Gandhi of NG Law Chambers.
How the Cockroach Janta Party emerged
The Cockroach Janta Party emerged earlier this month as a satirical online movement that gained popularity, particularly among younger social media users.
The group reportedly attracted hundreds of thousands of followers on X and more than 22 million followers on Instagram.
The movement began after Supreme Court proceedings on May 15, when a Bench led by Chief Justice Surya Kant spoke about unemployed young lawyers moving towards social media and RTI activism.
During the hearing, the CJI used the phrase “youngsters like cockroaches”, later clarifying that the remark referred to people using fake degrees and forged qualifications, and not unemployed youth in general.
Dipke, who lives in Boston, USA, started the online collective, which uses political satire to comment on unemployment, institutional accountability and media freedom.
Court hears arguments on satire and free speech
Senior Advocate Akhil Sibal, appearing for Dipke, argued that the CJP account was “pure satire” and requested temporary restoration of the account while the case is being heard.
He suggested that individual posts could remain blocked instead of the entire account.
However, the court said it could only issue notice at this stage and noted that laws dealing with such issues are still developing.
The Bench also observed that this case appeared different from earlier matters where blocked accounts had been restored during legal proceedings.
It said the reasons behind the blocking remained unclear and added that issues such as confidentiality of the blocking order could be examined later.
Govt raises concerns over X
Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, representing the Centre, sought to present the government’s position during the hearing.
The court said it would hear the government before passing any order and added that, if necessary, it could later ask for the full record, including the blocking order.
Mehta also remarked that the intermediary platform appeared to be assisting the petitioner.
