During the hearing, Justice Purushaindra Kumar Kaurav permitted Cockroach Janta Party founder Abhijeet Dipke to appear virtually before the review committee. The court also observed that if the committee concludes that the blocking was unjustified, it possesses the legal authority to direct restoration of the account.
The High Court issued notices to the Centre and Meta-owned X on the plea challenging the suspension and sought their responses. The matter has been scheduled for further hearing on July 7. The court directed that before the next hearing, the review committee must examine all relevant aspects and place its decision on record.
Senior Advocate Akhil Sibal, appearing for Abhijeet Dipke, argued that the Cockroach Janta Party account represented pure satire. He submitted that even if certain posts were considered objectionable, only those specific posts should have been restricted rather than suspending the entire account. He also sought interim relief, urging the court to restore access to the handle, stating that the blocking order had not yet been provided to the petitioner.
Justice Kaurav noted that the blocking order was not yet on record and stated that the court would consider the request after the Union government files its response. The court further observed that the law governing blocking orders is still in a developing stage and cautioned against immediate intervention, directing that the matter proceed through notice and response filings. The judge also stated that the petitioner may present his grievance before the review committee in the interim.
While referring to earlier judicial precedents where only specific offensive posts were withheld instead of entire accounts, the court observed that the present case appeared different. It noted that in earlier cases, the defence concerned selective objectionable tweets, whereas in the present matter the reasoning appeared to relate to the overall nature of the activity.
Abhijeet Dipke, previously associated with the Aam Aadmi Party, launched the Cockroach Janta Party during a controversy linked to remarks attributed to Chief Justice of India Surya Kant regarding “cockroaches” and “parasites” during a hearing on May 15 concerning senior designation for a lawyer. The online platform rapidly gained attention but subsequently faced multiple setbacks, including suspension of its X account and the removal of its membership website.
In response to the shutdown, Abhijeet Dipke criticized the Union government, describing it as dictatorial. He also claimed that nearly one million people had registered as members, positioning the platform as a digital hub of satire, sarcasm, and meme-driven commentary targeting the system. The Cockroach Janta Party had emerged as an overnight internet phenomenon, drawing widespread attention from young users across the country.
The matter remains pending before the Delhi High Court and will be further heard on July 7.
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