Delhi HC declines urgent hearing on PIL seeking curbs on CJP protest in Delhi

A day ahead of the Cockroach Janata Party’s (CJP) scheduled protest in Delhi, a PIL has been filed in the Delhi High Court on Friday (June 5) seeking urgent directions to the Centre, Delhi Police and other concerned authorities to take preventive and regulatory measures to ensure no disruption to public order and the continued functioning of critical infrastructure. However, the High Court declined to urgently list the matter.

Plea seeks preventive measures

The petition, filed by NGO Save India Foundation, was mentioned before the bench of Justice Saurabh Banerjee and Justice Amit Sharma. The petitioner alleged that the CJP’s mobilisation tactics include assigning sequential tasks designed to incite hostility against the ruling dispensation that has escalated into “hate speech” and open ultimatums seeking immediate resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan. The CJP has sought Pradhan’s resignation over the NEET paper leak issue.

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"The operational methodology relies on assigning sequential tasks designed to foster institutional defiance and hostility against the ruling dispensation, which has rapidly escalated into explicit hate speech, calls to topple the democratically elected government, and open ultimatums demanding the immediate resignation of the Union Education Minister under threats of severe consequences if key organisers are arrested,” stated the petition as quoted by the Bar and Bench.

“Widely circulating media messages systematically invoke recent violent civil unrest and structural collapses witnessed in neighbouring democratic nations like Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and Nepal,” it added.

Claims of online mobilisation

The petition stated that the CJP has been conducting a coordinated online campaign and gave a call for a large gathering at Jantar Mantar and other parts of Delhi.

It alleged that the online content related to the mobilisation call comprises inflammatory messages along with threats of resistance to law enforcement efforts and a declared bid to disrupt public infrastructure.

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The petition further contends that supporters have been urged through online channels to assemble in significant numbers at designated locations across the national capital. It asserts that any large-scale congregation, in the absence of appropriate regulatory oversight, carries the potential to impede traffic flow, strain law-enforcement resources, and create concerns relating to public safety and security management.

Representation to Delhi Police

According to the plea, the petitioner organisation had addressed a representation to the Commissioner of Police on June 4 requesting the formulation of precautionary measures and a comprehensive crowd-management strategy. However, it claims that no concrete preventive mechanism or official response has been made public thus far.

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Among the reliefs sought, the petitioner has urged the authorities to take necessary steps for regulating the proposed assembly, including considering restrictions or relocation of the gathering if circumstances so warrant.

The plea also seeks deployment of adequate personnel for crowd-control operations and protection of sensitive installations, including the Indira Gandhi International Airport and major transportation nodes across Delhi.

Additionally, it requests directions to ensure that emergency services, public institutions and other essential civic functions continue without interruption.

The backdrop

The 'Cockroach Janata Party' emerged as a satirical online campaign following remarks attributed to the Chief Justice of India Surya Kant during court proceedings. While the observations were later clarified as referring to individuals holding fake educational credentials, the movement rapidly gained traction on social media, attracting millions of followers before its accounts were eventually suspended.