New Delhi (India) June 6: A request to hear urgently a plea relating to law and order concerns over a proposed protest by the Cockroach Janata Party at Jantar Mantar on June 6, demanding the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan following allegations of examination-related lapses, was rejected by the Delhi High Court on Friday.
The issue was listed before a bench of Justice Saurabh Banerjee and Justice Amit Sharma by the counsel for Save India Foundation.
CJP, Police Clash Over Permission
The Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) and Delhi Police seemed to be heading for a confrontation, as the police said that they had not received any request from the CJP seeking permission for the protest, even though party leaders said that it would be held regardless of whether a permission was given or not.
Security arrangements and preventive measures will depend on the developments on the ground and intelligence inputs, but for now, as of now 1,000 personnel have been deployed. The role of any political parties backing it are also being looked into.
Online Campaign Draws Young Supporters
The plea states that the Cockroach Janata Party has been actively running an online campaign, and is calling for a massive mobilization to assemble at Jantar Manta in the national capital, specifically on June 6. It alleges that the campaign has rapidly gained traction on social media platforms and has successfully gathered large numbers of young individuals.
Plea Seeks Enhanced Security Measures
The plea says that a representation was made to the Police Commissioner on June 4, highlighting concerns about potential law and order issues and the petitioner organization urged for appropriate precautionary and crowd control measures to be instituted by Delhi police. Despite prompt notification, no substantial public reassurance or comprehensive preventive framework has been disseminated.
In addition to other requested reliefs, the plea also seeks directions to the Delhi police and all other relevant agencies to effectively control, restrict or relocate the proposed gathering, ensure sufficient resources are allocated for crowd management, and ensure security for vulnerable public infrastructure including IGI Airport and public transport systems.
CJP Born From CJI Remark
The CJP movement originated from an oral observation of the Chief Justice of India Surya Kant on May 15 during Supreme Court proceedings, where the latter was observed to be concerned about the unemployed youth moving towards social media and RTI activism.
The CJI mentioned these youngsters to be "like cockroaches" and a parasite in the society. Later, CJI clarified his remark pertained to fake degree holders.
The Cockroach Janata Party was founded by a resident of Boston, Abhijeet Dipke. The CJP aims to express itself through satire to comment on issues that pertain to institutional accountability, unemployment, media freedom, etc.