SC seeks response of Centre, BCI, CBI on plea seeking probe into activities of persons associated with CJP

New Delhi: The Supreme Court has sought responses of the Centre, the Bar Council of India and the CBI on a plea seeking a probe into alleged fake advocates, fraudulent law degrees and the activities of persons associated with the Cockroach Janta Party.

The CJP came into being following a remark made by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant during a court hearing in May and later it led a Gen-Z protest against NEET-UG paper leak.

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A bench comprising the CJI and justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana on Tuesday took note of the petition filed by advocate Raja Choudhary, who appeared as a party-in-person.

The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) has also been made a respondent.

The plea also raises a broader issue concerning the alleged commercial exploitation, trademark appropriation and monetised circulation of oral observations made during judicial proceedings.

It alleged that portions of the May 15 proceedings were selectively edited and subsequently circulated as memes, videos, mimicry, political branding and other commercial content.

The lawyer submitted that the matter warranted deeper investigation into how the word "cockroach", used by the CJI in an entirely different judicial context, was selectively picked, edited and commercially exploited in a manner to undermine judicial dignity and hurt institutional integrity.

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The plea sought a direction to authorities "to examine and take action in accordance with law against persons/entities allegedly involved in commercial exploitation, trademark appropriation, monetized circulation, or unauthorised commercial use of oral courtroom observations/metaphors, including activities of CJP, while recognising that fair criticism, democratic dissent, satire, and free speech remain permissible within the constitutional framework without undermining institutional dignity".

The plea referred to the context in which the CJI-led bench made the remarks on May 15.

While hearing another plea filed by one Sanjay Dubey, the CJI had made the "cockroach" remark in the specific context of fake advocates, as he expressed "concerns regarding misuse of court process, deterioration of professional standards and how it impacted the institution itself", the plea said.

The fresh plea said there has been a quantum increase in clips of selectively edited judicial proceedings after May 15.

The distorted versions and the observations made during the proceedings have turned into memes and are circulated on social media for financial gains, the plea said.