Government Seeks Court Order to Block Cockroach Janta Party's Social Media Handle, Citing National Security Concerns

India Blocks Satirical Account Over National Security Concerns

The X account of 'Cockroach Janta Party', a satirical account opened in response to a remark by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, has been withheld following a direction from the Centre due to inputs from the Intelligence Bureau (IB) that raised national security concerns, according to a senior government official cited by The Indian Express.

The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) asked X to withhold the account under Section 69 (A) of the Information Technology Act, 2000, the publication reported. MeitY received an input from the IB to block the X account of Cockroach Janta Party, citing that it posed a threat to the sovereignty of India. The IB believed that the account was posting inflammatory content through its account, which could have jeopardised the country's national security.

The concern stemmed from the fact that the account's content was gaining traction among young people, a senior government official explained. The official stated that the action was taken under a confidential framework, and the details of the blocking order were not disclosed.

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Section 69 (A) of the Information Technology Act empowers the Central government to restrict public access to information in the interest of sovereignty, security, public order, or preventing incitement to offences. The process is governed by the Information Technology (Procedure and Safeguards for Blocking for Access of Information by Public) Rules, 2009. Blocking orders are confidential.

On May 16, Abhijeet Dipke, the 30-year-old founder of the Cockroach Janta Party, posted a Google form on X inviting people to register for the satirical political outfit. Within hours, Dipke received over 5,000 registrations, transforming an Internet joke into an unofficial organisation channelling public discontent, humour, and political frustration.

Several other accounts using the 'cockroach' nomenclature remain active on X. These include 'The Cockroach Youth', 'Cockroach News', 'IAmCockroach', 'Cockroach Party of India', and 'Cockroach Janata Party (Gen Z)'. Politicians, including TMC leaders Mahua Moitra and Kirti Azad, engaged with or expressed interest in the movement, alongside activists such as Prashant Bhushan and Anjali Bharadwaj.

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