The Supreme Court on Tuesday issued notice on a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) seeking safeguards against the alleged commercial exploitation and monetisation of oral observations made during judicial proceedings through social media campaigns and digital content. A Bench headed by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and comprising Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V. Mohana sought responses from the Union government, Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, Bar Council of India and Central Bureau of Investigation. The matter has been listed for further hearing on September 10.

The petition, filed through advocate-on-record Rajesh Singh Chauhan, raises concerns over courtroom exchanges and oral observations being taken out of their judicial context and circulated as memes, political content and monetised digital material. It specifically refers to the satirical social media campaign titled "Cockroach Janta Party" (CJP), alleging that remarks made during a Supreme Court hearing were selectively clipped and transformed into viral content, political symbolism and commercially valuable online material.

According to the plea, the issue is not about restricting criticism of the judiciary or democratic expression protected under Article 19(1)(a) of the Constitution. Instead, it focuses on what the petitioner describes as organised commercial exploitation of judicial proceedings. The PIL has sought safeguards against monetised viral circulation, trademark-related commercialisation, meme-based distortion and algorithm-driven amplification of oral observations made by constitutional courts.

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The controversy originated from remarks made during a Supreme Court hearing on May 15, when references to "parasites" and "youngsters like cockroaches" were reportedly made while discussing individuals allegedly entering professions on the basis of fake degrees. The remarks subsequently triggered the CJP campaign on social media, which the petitioner alleged developed into a wider digital movement involving branding, memes and viral content. CJI Surya Kant later clarified that the observations were directed specifically at people obtaining fake and bogus degrees and were not aimed at the country's youth.

The petition argues that the increasing conversion of courtroom proceedings into viral online spectacles could affect public confidence in the judiciary and weaken the seriousness associated with constitutional institutions. It also raises concerns about the influence of trolling, outrage-driven algorithms, meme culture and monetised online campaigns on public discussion surrounding judicial proceedings.

The PIL has sought appropriate directions to investigate activities allegedly involving monetisation, branding and digital propagation of controversies arising from courtroom observations. It has also urged the court to establish safeguards governing the commercial use of judicial proceedings and ensure that oral observations are not selectively distorted or commercially exploited after being separated from the circumstances in which they were made. The Supreme Court's notice marks the beginning of its consideration of the concerns raised in the petition.

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