The CJI's metaphor had a shelf life of one week before the government had to invoke national security to contain it.
On May 15, 2026, Chief Justice of India Surya Kant compared unemployed youth to 'cockroaches' and 'parasites of society' — a metaphor he later clarified was aimed at those with fake degrees, which is a different kind of infestation. Within 24 hours, Abhijeet Dipke, a Boston University public relations student, registered the Cockroach Janta Party. Within one week, it had 22 million Instagram followers, surpassing the BJP's four-decade-old official account, plus 1 million sign-ups and 600,000 signatures on a petition demanding the Education Minister's resignation. The government responded with proportional calm: on May 22, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology — acting on Intelligence Bureau advice — blocked CJP's X account under Section 69A of the IT Act for posing 'a threat to the sovereignty of India.' The website went down on May 23. There are currently no charges filed against the cockroaches.