The Delhi High Court on Friday declined to grant an urgent hearing on a public interest litigation seeking preventive and regulatory measures in connection with a protest proposed to be held in the national capital on June 6 by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP).
The matter was mentioned before the Vacation Bench of Justice Saurabh Banerjee and Justice Amit Sharma by Save India Foundation, an NGO, seeking immediate Court intervention ahead of the scheduled gathering. However, the Bench refused to list the petition for immediate hearing.
The petitioner sought a series of directions aimed at regulating the proposed demonstration and preventing any potential disruption to public order. According to the petitioner, the gathering could lead to law and order concerns and adversely affect public peace, safety and normal civic functioning in the city.
The controversy stems from a protest call issued by CJP, a political satire movement founded by Abhijeet Dipke, a resident of Boston, United States. The organisation emerged following oral observations made by Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant during proceedings before the Supreme Court on May 15. During the hearing, the Chief Justice had expressed concern over unemployed youth allegedly gravitating towards social media activism and Right to Information (RTI) campaigns. In the course of the proceedings, he remarked that such individuals were becoming like “cockroaches” and acting as parasites in society. The Chief Justice subsequently clarified that the observations were directed at persons possessing fake educational qualifications who engage in such activities.
The Cockroach Janta Party was subsequently formed as a satirical platform to comment on issues relating to unemployment, institutional accountability, governance and media freedom. The organisation has announced a public gathering at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi on June 6 to protest alleged irregularities in the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET), examination paper leaks and controversies surrounding CBSE examinations. The group has also demanded the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.
In its petition, Save India Foundation alleged that the protest campaign was being conducted through messaging and organisational methods that could potentially encourage hostility towards public institutions and the elected government. The petitioner contended that widely circulated communications associated with the protest contained references to political unrest and governmental instability witnessed in neighbouring countries such as Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Nepal.
The plea further alleged that certain communications connected with the movement included calls for political action against the Union Government and warnings regarding consequences if organisers were subjected to arrest. According to the petitioner, such messaging warranted preventive intervention by the authorities to avoid any threat to public order.
On these grounds, the NGO sought directions for immediate preventive, regulatory and crowd-management measures at key transit points across Delhi, including Indira Gandhi International Airport, metro stations and major highway entry routes. The petition also requested the Court to direct the authorities to relocate the proposed gathering to an alternative venue in order to ensure uninterrupted functioning of public infrastructure, emergency services and traffic management systems.
The High Court, however, declined to entertain the request for urgent listing and did not pass any interim directions in the matter.
The NGO has previously faced criticism from the High Court in several matters concerning public interest litigation. On earlier occasions, the Court had expressed dissatisfaction with petitions filed by the organisation relating to mosques and dargahs, observing that certain PILs instituted by the NGO lacked merit.
With the High Court declining urgent intervention, the proposed protest is presently scheduled to proceed on June 6, subject to any regulatory measures imposed by the competent authorities.
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