Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant on Friday expressed concern for the second time over the circulation of short clips from court proceedings making rounds on social media without proper context, saying his remarks in the controversial ‘cockroach’ episode were misquoted and were subsequently used with malicious intent to mislead young people. 

In an interaction with DD News, the Chief Justice said judicial proceedings were increasingly being circulated online in fragmented forms, making it difficult for viewers to comprehend the content in which observations were made.

“What was not said being presented as said”: CJI

The controversy stems from a hearing underway at the Supreme Court (SC) on May 15, 2026, when the CJI compared several people holding bogus degrees to ‘cockroaches,’ who turn themselves into social media or RTI activists to target the system. 

After a video of the CJI making the remarks went viral, he received immense backlash from sections of the youth and eventually inspired the online satirical movement, Cockroach Janta Party (CJP). Addressing the controversy, CJI Kant said he was deeply concerned by the manner in which the comments had been represented.

He asserted, “My comment was misquoted and misused. What was not said is presented as though it was said. This is extremely unfortunate. Particularly, it is a major malicious attempt to mislead the youth of the country.” The Chief Justice added that he could never have imagined the implications attributed to his remarks regarding the people concerned. 

CJI urges media to report responsibly

CJI Kant furthermore urged the media to exercise responsibility while reporting judicial proceedings and emphasised that maintaining social harmony was a collective constitutional responsibility. 

Whether a person operates through social media, print media or any other platform, he said, citizens must understand that rights come with corresponding duties and responsibilities. He called upon citizens to remain mindful of those responsibilities and make ‘tireless efforts’ to ensure that harmony prevails in the society. 

The controversy surrounding the remarks also unfolded against the backdrop of protests led by the CJP at Jantar Mantar in the national capital over the alleged NEET UG 2026 paper leak. The protests continued for more than a month and led to a clash between demonstrators and police on July 20, leaving several persons from both sides injured. 

Eventually, Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan resigned amid the protests, according to the account provided. 

SC moves against misuse of court recordings

The CJI also shed light on the SC’s recent order restricting the unauthorised dissemination, reposting, uploading and monetisation of audio and video recordings of judicial proceedings on social media and other digital platforms. He said transparency was essential to the functioning of the judiciary, pointing to the SC’s decision to introduce live-streaming of proceedings as a step towards greater openness. 

On the other hand, he also cautioned that transparency should not become a license for commercial exploitation. Adding to his statements, he said the practice of taking small clips from proceedings and using them for personal or commercial benefit must come to a halt.