Delhi HC Refuses Urgent Hearing On Plea Against Cockroach Janta Party Protest

New Delhi: The Delhi High Court on Friday refused to hear a petition raising law and order concerns arising from digital outfit Cockroach Janta Party’s call for a protest at Jantar Mantar here on June 6 to demand the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over examination-related lapses.

The counsel for ‘Save India Foundation’ mentioned the plea for urgent hearing before a vacation bench of Justices Saurabh Banerjee and Amit Sharma. The bench, however, refused to list the case. Earlier this month, Cockroach Janta Party founder Abhijeet Dipke called on supporters and students to join his protest in Delhi.

Dipke had also urged supporters to join him at the airport on June 6. The Cockroach Janta Party, a youth-driven social media movement, has gained traction since its formation and has been subscribed to by many public figures. The petitioner, in his plea, sought deployment of “immediate preventive, regulatory, and crowd-control measures” at the IGI Airport, metro stations, and highway entry points.

It also sought directions to the authorities to “restrict, regulate, or relocate the scheduled gathering” to maintain public order and ensure that vital infrastructure and emergency services, like hospitals, railway stations, the high court and the Supreme Court, function without compromising public safety.

The PIL alleged that Cockroach Janta Party has turned the youth into an “unregulated contingent” by “utilising overseas-tethered servers to execute a transnational institutional destabilisation agenda”.

It demanded that the June 6 mobilisation be either relocated to an alternative designated site or be strictly regulated with comprehensive videography of the proceedings to ensure that those who are “instigating” from “overseas jurisdictions”, including the USA and Australia, are prevented from compromising airport security and essential emergency machinery.