Plea filed in Supreme Court seeking probe into fake advocates, ‘Cockroach Janta Party’ activities

A petition has been filed in the Supreme Court seeking a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into alleged fake advocates, fraudulent law degrees and the activities of persons associated with the “Cockroach Janta Party" - the satirical political brand born overnight following Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant's recent cockroach remark.

The petition has also sought action against alleged commercial exploitation and monetised circulation of oral courtroom observations made during recent proceedings before the Supreme Court.

The plea arises out of proceedings held on May 15, during which concerns were expressed regarding procedural misuse of courts, conferment of Senior Advocate designation and deterioration of professional standards within the legal profession.

According to the petition, certain metaphorical “cockroach” references used during spontaneous courtroom exchanges were subsequently selectively clipped, meme-ified, mimicked, commercially circulated, and transformed into viral digital content detached from constitutional and procedural context.

The plea has clarified that it is not directed against criticism of the judiciary, democratic dissent, satire or free speech protected under Article 19(1)(a) of the Constitution.

Instead, it has alleged organised commercial exploitation, trademark-commercialisation, monetised viral circulation, meme-based distortion, and algorithmically amplified digital commodification of oral courtroom proceedings.

The “Cockroach Janta Party” emerged earlier this month as a satirical online movement that gained traction across social media platforms, particularly among younger users.

The collective was reportedly started by Abhijeet Dipke, a resident of Boston, USA, and uses political satire to comment on issues such as unemployment, institutional accountability and media freedom.

The movement gained momentum after remarks attributed to CJI Surya Kant during the May 15 hearing were widely interpreted online as comparing unemployed youth to cockroaches.

The CJI later clarified that his observations had been directed at individuals entering professions through forged qualifications and fake degrees, not unemployed young Indians generally.

However, since then, the “Cockroach Janta Party” has evolved into a large online campaign, attracting significant traction on Instagram and other social media platforms while also spawning petitions, merchandise and online mobilisation efforts.

The plea has been filed by Advocate Raja Choudhary.