A question on alleged hostility to the opposition in India was stopped before it could be completed following a lecture by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant in London, in an exchange between an attendee and the anchor that has since been circulated on social media and reshared online by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) movement.
The Center had delivered a lecture on “Artificial Intelligence and International Law” at Birkbeck College, University of London, during its current visit to the United Kingdom.
In the interactive session that followed, a woman in the audience first referred to his statements, then moved to the topic of opposition.
“His Honor made some very important points, I think, about India’s track record in protecting democracy in the context of artificial intelligence,” she said, according to clips of the dialogue shared on X.
He mentioned the “opposition” and his recent statements
She continued: “We are now hearing from a number of legal observers within the country as well as internationally that there is a great deal of concern about the growing hostility to the opposition within India. This hostility appears to be reflected to some extent in His Lordship’s rhetoric and has been very well publicized.” She appears to be referring to recent statements by the International Commission of Justice in India.
She could not complete the question. A man on stage refused to take it.
“With all due respect, I’m so sorry, I won’t be able to address this question because it’s about artificial intelligence and international law. So sorry. I’m so sorry, I’m so sorry. We’re going to have to cut this off,” he said. The clip ends at this point.
In a separate clip, one of the attendees was heard protesting.
“Give us some respect please!” says the person.
The clips were re-shared by Sourav Das, CJP’s chief spokesperson, and other users.
The CJP itself takes its name from remarks made by the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. On May 15, Justice Surya Kant, while hearing a petition filed by a lawyer seeking the appointment of senior advocate of the Delhi High Court, said: “There are already parasites in society who are attacking the system, and you want us to join hands with them?”
He added: “There are young people who are like cockroaches. They do not get any work and have no place in the profession. Some of them become media professionals, some of them become social media, some of them become RTI activists, some of them become other activists, and they start attacking everyone.”
He said he had “serious doubts” about the authenticity of law certificates obtained by some Delhi-based lawyers, and that the court was monitoring social media activity directed at the judiciary.
On May 16, the CJI issued a clarification. He said he was “hurt” by media reports suggesting that he criticized young people, that a section of the media “misreported” him, and that his comments were aimed at those who enter the legal profession using “fake and fake degrees.”
CJP grows
And in the middle, the Janta Cockroach Party appeared. It is now planning to organize a massive protest on June 6 in Delhi to demand the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.
On May 25, a lawyer mentioned a writ petition before a bench led by CJI Kant, seeking action against CJP and other social media entities for allegedly misusing courtroom recordings. The lawyer added: “A distorted and malicious narrative is being spread… and the image of the institution is being tarnished.”
The petition sought a declaration that oral exchanges during court proceedings should not be used commercially or selectively circulated in a way that distorts them.
The CJI refused an urgent hearing. “Don’t take it emotionally,” he told the lawyer. “There’s no such big emergency. We’ll look into it.”
The London incident came on the heels of a similar moment during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Norway in May. After concluding a joint statement with Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Sture in Oslo without a question-and-answer session, journalist Helle Laing shouted at Modi as he exited the podium: “Prime Minister Modi, why don’t you take some questions from the freest press in the world?” Modi did not respond and walked away. She later emphasized this point at a State Department press conference, raising questions about trust, human rights and freedom of the press.
Indian officials said the event was a pre-arranged joint media statement rather than an open press conference, at which leaders were not scheduled to take questions.
