CJI Suryakant's "cockroach" remark was aimed at journalist Saurav Das, claims party founder

Cockroach Janta Party founders claim CJI Suryakant's controversial remark targeted journalist Saurav Das

Chief Justice of India Suryakant's disputed use of the word "cockroach" was specifically directed at journalist Saurav Das, according to explosive claims made by Cockroach Janta Party founder Abhijeet Deepke.

The controversy centres on a comment made during court proceedings that sparked nationwide debate about judicial remarks on unemployment and youth.

The targeting allegation

Speaking to News 24, Deepke stated categorically that "the cockroach word that was used was for Saurav because at that time he was writing the most". Das, who serves as CJP's chief spokesperson and writes primarily on law and judges, corroborated this account.

Das revealed that multiple lawyers and retired judges contacted him at the time, suggesting the comment was aimed at him personally. This occurred while he was preparing a profile piece on Justice Suryakant for Caravan magazine and had filed several Right to Information applications as part of his research. He had previously written similar profiles on former CJI DY Chandrachud.

What the CJI actually said

During the hearing, Justice Suryakant reportedly commented that young people who fail to find jobs in their profession become media persons or RTI activists and then "attack the system". The term "cockroach" and references to "parasites" emerged in this context.

The remarks were initially interpreted as criticism of India's unemployed youth, triggering widespread backlash. Justice Suryakant later clarified in court that his comments had been misrepresented by sections of the media.

"I was saddened to read that during the hearing my oral comments were incorrectly presented by a section of the media. I had criticized those people who entered fields like law with the help of fake and fraudulent degrees," the CJI explained. He added that such individuals have also infiltrated media, social media and other prestigious professions, making them "like parasites," and stressed it was baseless to claim he had criticized the country's youth.

From controversy to political movement

The judicial remark became the catalyst for an unlikely political phenomenon. After the comment surfaced, Deepke posted on X asking, "What will happen if all the cockroaches gather together?". The tweet went viral, prompting him to create X and Instagram handles under the Cockroach Janta Party name.

Within four days, the Instagram account gained approximately 25 million followers, catapulting Deepke into the national spotlight. He subsequently traveled from America to India and launched a movement against the NEET paper leak controversy.

The party's formation transformed what began as judicial criticism into a platform that has attracted millions of followers, demonstrating how a courtroom exchange can spark broader political mobilization in the digital age.