CJI Suryakant says remarks were misrepresented:Calls it attempt to mislead youth; warns against sharing court clips without context on social media

Chief Justice of India Suryakant said his remarks in the ‘cockroach’ controversy were “misrepresented” and used to mislead the country’s youth. He said, “A clip of the court proceedings was circulated online. Something that was never said was presented misleadingly.” The CJI’s statement came after the Cockroach Janata Party ended its protest and announced plans to launch ‘Jantar Mantar 2.0’. The controversy began after Justice Suryakant compared some people with fake degrees to “cockroaches” during a Supreme Court hearing on May 15. Following this, Abhijeet Dipke formed the Cockroach Janata Party on social media. CJI says court proceedings are being used for personal gain Justice Suryakant said transparency in judicial proceedings is important, but court proceedings should not be used for commercial benefit. He said the judiciary needs to be transparent, which is why the Supreme Court introduced live streaming of its proceedings. However, he stressed that live streaming should not be misused. He said, “It should especially not be used for commercial purposes. People misuse short clips for personal or commercial gain. This must stop.” Abhijeet Dipke turned ‘cockroach’ into a symbol of protest The Cockroach Janata Party was launched in May 2026. It began on social media rather than as a traditional political party. Dipke turned the word “cockroach” into a symbol of protest and created the CJP platform on social media. Soon, a large number of young people joined it. The group began protests over issues such as irregularities in NEET and other examinations, the education system and unemployment. The protest continued from June 20 to July 25. CJI says judiciary does not decide in favour of either side CJI Suryakant said the Constitution is the country’s greatest strength. He said protecting and strengthening its basic structure is one of the judiciary’s most important responsibilities. He said the judiciary is the guardian of the Constitution. It does not make decisions in favour of either the government or the Opposition, but decides cases based on constitutional values. ​