The Delhi High Court on Tuesday ordered the restoration of the X account of the satirical online platform Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), revoking the Centre's blocking order after a court-directed review found the action unsustainable.
The development marks a significant turnaround in the case after the High Court, while hearing the matter in May, had declined to grant immediate interim relief and instead directed the statutory review committee to examine the legality of the blocking order before the next hearing.
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Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma passed the judgement.
The petition was filed by CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke, who challenged the blocking of the platform's X handle, arguing that the account was a vehicle for satire and political commentary protected under the right to free speech. Senior advocate Akhil Sibal, appearing for Dipke, had contended that if specific posts were found objectionable, authorities could have directed their removal instead of blocking the entire account.
The Centre had blocked the account in May, reportedly acting on security-related inputs under Section 69A of the IT Act.
Solicitor General Tushar Mehta submitted that the CJP's social media handle was blocked to avoid "chaos" among students and parents ahead of the June 21 NEET re-test. "Since NEET is already over, the primary concern is no longer of any relevance. In these circumstances, the order is revoked. The petition is allowed," Justice Sharma ordered.
