Chief Justice of India Surya Kant on 22 July 2026 declined an urgent listing of a plea seeking Supreme Court intervention over alleged police excesses against Cockroach Janta Party protesters during their march towards Parliament.
The matter was mentioned before the Chief Justice-led bench by a lawyer who urged the court to take cognisance of the issue on its own motion. The bench refused to entertain the request. When the counsel referred to videos purportedly showing police action, the Chief Justice stated: “We are not interested in videos; we don’t have time to watch.” He further told the lawyer, “Don’t waste our time, and don’t waste your time,” and later added, “We don’t have time. We don’t want to watch videos,” before concluding with “Thank you very much.”
The lawyer had argued that the students were protesting on matters of public importance, including the alleged NEET-UG 2026 paper leak, the overall conduct of the examination, and the need for reforms in the National Testing Agency. The Chief Justice cut short the submissions.
A day earlier, the Delhi High Court had also declined an urgent hearing on a similar plea concerning the police action, observing that the court should not be dragged into the matter.
The Cockroach Janta Party has been leading protests focused on alleged irregularities in competitive examinations, particularly the NEET-UG paper leak. The group’s satirical name originates from remarks made earlier in 2026 by Chief Justice Surya Kant himself, who had referred to unemployed young people turning to journalism and activism as “cockroaches.” Following significant public backlash, the Chief Justice clarified that his comments were directed only at those holding “fake and bogus degrees.”
