Allahabad High Court PIL: Lucknow Bench declines plea seeking NIA and ED probe into Cockroach Janta Party

The Lucknow Bench of the Allahabad High Court declined to entertain a criminal PIL seeking an NIA and Enforcement Directorate probe into alleged anti-national activity linked to the Cockroach Janta Party. The petitioner sought to withdraw the plea after the court questioned territorial jurisdiction. The petition also urged action against social media accounts allegedly targeting youth.

The Lucknow bench of the Allahabad High Court on Tuesday refused to hear a criminal Public Interest Litigation seeking a probe into alleged anti-national activity linked to the Cockroach Janta Party. The plea also asked for action against online accounts said to be used to influence youth. The court later allowed the petitioner to withdraw the case and approach another court.

A vacation bench of Justices Shekhar B Saraf and Abdhesh Kumar Chaudhary passed the order on a petition filed by S Vignesh Shishir. Shishir sought a wide investigation by the National Investigation Agency and the Enforcement Directorate. The plea named Abhijeet Dipke, a Pune native now living in the United States.

Allahabad High Court PIL and jurisdiction questions

During the hearing, the bench examined where the case should be filed. The judges noted that Shishir described himself as a permanent resident of Bengaluru in the petition and affidavit. The court said the issues were of national importance. It also said Shishir should have moved the Karnataka High Court first.

The bench also found that the petition did not show any clear cause of action within Uttar Pradesh. On this basis, the court said the plea was not maintainable before the Lucknow bench. The judges referred to the principle of forum non conveniens while raising objections about territorial jurisdiction.

Cockroach Janta Party allegations in the PIL

In the petition, Shishir claimed Dipke founded an unregistered organisation called Cockroach Janta Party. The plea alleged the group engaged in anti-national activities and received foreign funding. It asked the Centre to respond to alleged online attempts to incite youth, using platforms like Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, WhatsApp, Telegram and X.

After the court flagged maintainability concerns, Shishir asked to withdraw the PIL. Shishir sought liberty to move a court with proper jurisdiction. The bench accepted that request and disposed of the case. The order granted permission to file a fresh petition before the appropriate court.

With inputs from PTI