SC declines urgent hearing on Cockroach Janta Party plea

The Supreme Court on Monday declined to grant an urgent hearing on a public interest litigation seeking an investigation into the Cockroach Janta Party, a satirical digital movement that emerged following a controversy over remarks made by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant. A bench led by the Chief Justice and Justice Joymalya Bagcha asked the petitioner’s lawyer not to take the matter “so sentimentally” and indicated there was no immediate need for urgency.

The petition, filed by advocate N. K. Goswami, sought a Central Bureau of Investigation probe or the registration of a case against individuals linked to the online outfit. It raised concerns over alleged fake law degrees and the misuse of the Supreme Court’s institutional identity. A second petition was also mentioned separately by another advocate requesting a CBI investigation into the use of fraudulent degrees and seeking to prohibit the commercial exploitation of oral observations made during court proceedings.

During the hearing, Goswami submitted that a “distorted and malicious narrative” was continuing despite the Chief Justice’s earlier clarification. The Chief Justice responded, “Don’t take it so sentimentally.”...