Hyderabad: The Lucknow Bench of the Allahabad High Court on Tuesday declined to entertain a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) seeking an investigation into the alleged anti-national activities of an organisation identified as “Cockroach Janta Party” and its purported use of social media platforms to influence and incite youth.
The petitioner later withdrew the plea after the court raised questions regarding its territorial jurisdiction.
A vacation bench comprising Justice Shekhar B. Saraf and Justice Abdhesh Kumar Chaudhary passed the order on a criminal PIL filed by petitioner S. Vignesh Shishir.
Court Questions Jurisdiction
In the petition, Shishir alleged that Abhijeet Dipke, a native of Pune currently residing in the United States, had founded an unregistered organisation called Cockroach Janta Party, which was allegedly involved in anti-national activities through foreign funding.
The petitioner sought a detailed investigation by the National Investigation Agency and the Enforcement Directorate.
The plea further claimed that various accounts on social media platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, WhatsApp, Telegram and X, were allegedly being used to influence and provoke young people. It requested directions to the Central government to block or shut down such accounts.
Bench Observations
During the hearing, the bench noted that the petitioner had described himself as a permanent resident of Bengaluru in both the petition and the supporting affidavit.
The judges observed that the matter involved issues of national importance and questioned why the petitioner had approached the Lucknow Bench instead of the Karnataka High Court.
The court also pointed out that the petition failed to establish any specific cause of action arising within Uttar Pradesh.
After indicating that the PIL was not maintainable before the Lucknow Bench on the principle of forum non conveniens, the court allowed the petitioner to withdraw the plea.
Liberty Granted to File Fresh Petition
The petitioner subsequently sought permission to withdraw the PIL with liberty to approach a court having appropriate jurisdiction.
Accepting the request, the bench disposed of the petition and granted liberty to file a fresh plea before a competent court.
The court did not examine the merits of the allegations while disposing of the matter.
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