HC declines plea against Cockroach party on jurisdiction issue

Ritika Singh Sisodiya | TNN

Lucknow: A Lucknow bench of Allahabad high court on Tuesday declined to entertain a PIL seeking probe into alleged anti-national activities and the use of social media platforms in making Cockroach Janta Party to incite youth, after the petitioner sought to withdraw the plea following questions over the court’s territorial jurisdiction.

A vacation bench of Justice Shekhar B Saraf and Justice Abdhesh Kumar Chaudhary passed the order on a criminal PIL filed by S Vignesh Shishir.

The petitioner had accused Abhijit Dipke, a Pune native currently residing in the US, of forming an unregistered organisation called ‘Cockroach Janta Party’, which was allegedly involved in anti-national activities through foreign funding. The plea sought a probe by the National Investigation Agency and the Enforcement Directorate.

The petitioner also alleged that several social media accounts were being used to influence and incite the country’s youth.

The bench noted that since the petitioner had described himself as a permanent resident of Bengaluru, and raised issues of national importance, he should have approached the Karnataka high court first. The bench further noted that the petition did not disclose any specific cause of action arising within Uttar Pradesh.

After the court indicated that the petition was not maintainable before the Lucknow bench on the ground of forum non conveniens, the petitioner sought permission to withdraw the plea with liberty to approach a court having competent jurisdiction.