In a legal setback for the Kokroche Janata Party, the Delhi High Court on Friday refused to directly restore the X account of the Abhijit Debke-led Kokroche Janata Party.
The court found some of the content posted on the social media account to be “mildly offensive” and refused to grant immediate relief on founder Debke’s petition.
The court said the case required “comprehensive study” and that any order would be issued only after listening to what the government and Platform X have to say.
The bench, led by Justice Puruchindra Kumar Kaurav, reportedly assured the Centre’s counsel that the court would hear the government’s submissions before passing any order.
Abhijit Debaki was represented by lawyer Akhil Sibal, who sought the restoration of CJP
To support his argument, Sibal cited previous instances where the court had granted interim relief. “There seems to be little difference between the other cases and in this case… in this case the reason seems to be that the whole activity itself is somewhat offensive,” the bench said in response, according to a report. Bar and seat a report.
Read also: ‘Cockroach’ Party founder Abhijit Debaki responds to Rijiju’s ‘followers from Pak’ claim; Data shows that 94% of the audience is Indian
While the court declined to grant immediate relief in this case, it did provide Debke with an opportunity to present his case before the Centre’s review committee responsible for examining orders to block social media accounts.
What was the situation?
The CJP, which started out with a satirical outfit but has gained popularity among Indian youth and opposition parties recently, alleged that social media handle on X was blocked.
Abhijit Deepki shared a screenshot of the pop-up window that appears when opening an X account and wrote in the caption: “As expected, Cockroach Janta Party account has been blocked in India.” This development coincided with the CJP’s phenomenal rise on social media, overtaking a national party like the BJP on Instagram.
The party was launched as a joke after Indian Supreme Court Chief Justice Surya Kant’s remarks in which he described some of the country’s youth as “cockroaches” sparked controversy. However, many people, especially young people, soon resonated with the outfit and the term “cockroaches”, giving the CJP a huge boost.
Days after X blocked the CJP’s account, Abhijit Debaki also made similar claims on his Instagram account and website.
