CJI declines hurried hearing on Cockroach Janta Party petitions
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New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday refused to urgently list two petitions connected to the satirical Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), telling one petitioner not to take the issue “so sentimentally”.
Advocate N.K. Goswami sought immediate listing before a bench of Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi, saying a “distorted and malicious narrative” persisted despite the CJI’s clarification. The chief justice replied, “Don’t take it so sentimentally,” and indicated the matter would be taken up in due course.
A separate petition sought a Central Bureau of Investigation probe into alleged use of fake law degrees and urged the court to bar monetisation of oral observations from proceedings, contending judicial remarks were being exploited for publicity. The bench said there was no grave urgency and the plea would be listed later.
The controversy began after the CJI’s comments on May 15 — equating those who attack institutions under the guise of online activism with “cockroaches” and “parasites” during a hearing on senior designation — triggered a social media backlash and the emergence of the satirical CJP. The CJI on May 16 issued a clarification saying he was “pained” that his remarks, aimed at those entering the profession with “fake and bogus degrees”, had been misquoted by sections of the media.
