Delhi High Court Orders Restoration of Cockroach Janta Party X Account
The Delhi High Court on Tuesday, July 7, 2026, directed the restoration of the X (formerly Twitter) account of the satirical digital movement Cockroach Janta Party (CJP). Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma passed the order in Delhi after the Union government withdrew its objection to unblocking the social media handle, noting that the June 21 NEET re-test had concluded.
The court was hearing a petition filed by CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke, who challenged the central government's decision to withhold the account in India.
Representing the Centre, Solicitor-General Tushar Mehta informed the court that the account had been blocked as a precautionary measure prior to the June 21 NEET re-test. Mehta argued that certain posts on the platform had the potential to create confusion and panic among lakhs of candidates and their parents.
With the examination now over, Mehta stated that the government had no further difficulty if the X account was unblocked.
"Since NEET is already over, the primary concern is no longer of any relevance. In these circumstances, the order is revoked. The petition is allowed," Justice Sharma ordered.
During the proceedings, senior advocate Akhil Sibal, appearing for Dipke, argued that the content posted by the CJP was "pure satire." Sibal contended that if the authorities found specific posts objectionable, they should have restricted only those individual posts instead of blocking the entire account.
The CJP emerged on social media in May as a satirical digital movement following controversy surrounding remarks made by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant. The group's original X handle was withheld in India on May 21, leading them to launch a new account, "Cockroach is Back," which has since attracted more than 2,82,000 followers.
