The Delhi High Court on 7 July 2026 ordered the restoration of the Cockroach Janta Party’s X account, which had been withheld in India since May. The decision followed the Central government’s statement that it no longer objected to the account being unblocked, as the concerns that prompted the ban were no longer relevant after the conclusion of the NEET re-examination.
According to The Hindu, Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma issued the order after Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, representing the Centre, informed the court that the account had been blocked as a precaution before the NEET re-test. The government cited the potential for certain posts to create confusion among students and parents awaiting the examination.
As reported by Live Law, the court noted that with the NEET exam concluded, the primary concern was resolved. The bench allowed the plea of CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke, who had challenged the government’s blocking order, and revoked the Centre’s directive to withhold the account.
Legal coverage indicated that the government’s initial rationale for the ban was to prevent possible chaos during the NEET exam period. The court’s decision was based on the Centre’s acknowledgment that these concerns were no longer applicable.
As highlighted by The Indian Express, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology had previously directed X to withhold the account under Section 69A of the Information Technology Act, 2000, following Intelligence Bureau inputs citing national security concerns. The court had earlier relegated Dipke to a government review committee before ultimately allowing the restoration.
“Since NEET is already over, the primary concern is no longer of any relevance. In these circumstances, the order is revoked. The petition is allowed,” Justice Sharma stated in court.
Further details showed that the Cockroach Janta Party’s original X handle was withheld on 21 May 2026, shortly after the group’s emergence as a satirical digital movement. The group subsequently launched a new handle, “Cockroach is Back,” which has amassed over 2,82,000 followers.
As noted in an article by Bar and Bench, the Cockroach Janta Party was formed in response to remarks made by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant regarding unemployed youth and online activism. The movement uses satire to comment on issues such as unemployment, institutional accountability, and media freedom, and has organised protests demanding the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over the NEET-UG 2026 paper leak.
Coverage revealed that the Delhi High Court’s order was seen as a significant relief for the group, with the court explicitly stating that the blocking order’s underlying concern was no longer relevant after the NEET re-exam had taken place.
“We will continue to raise the youth’s voice both online and offline,” CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke said in response to the judgement.
Note: This article is produced using AI-assisted tools and is based on publicly available information. It has been reviewed by The Quint's editorial team before publishing.