'Cockroach' Remark Was Never Aimed At Protesting Youth: CJI Surya Kant; Seeks Protocol On Court Reporting

New Delhi, July 25, 2026: Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant has said that his controversial "cockroach" remark was taken completely out of context and was never directed at students or youngsters protesting on the streets.

Explaining the circumstances in which the comment was made, the CJI said it referred only to lawyers who had allegedly entered the legal profession using fake or unrecognised law degrees.

His clarification came after the remark sparked political reactions, with one protest leader, Dipke, sarcastically thanking the CJI and claiming that the comment had energised the student movement.

"I thank CJI Surya Kant ji for calling us cockroaches. If you had not called us cockroaches, I would not have returned to India. If you hadn't called us cockroaches, the youth would not have been on the roads. If you hadn't called us cockroaches, Dharmendra Pradhan would not have resigned. So thank you to the CJI," Dipke said.

Remark Explained

Rejecting the criticism, the CJI said no petition related to the students' agitation had been filed in the Supreme Court when the issue first came up. He said that before taking the Bench, he had been informed that no such petition had been filed. However, during oral mentioning, someone suggested that a petition was already pending and urgently required a hearing, Bar & Bench reports.

"It was in that background that I said, 'Please don't waste your time and my time,'" the CJI said. He added that he could not ask anyone in open court to file a petition because that would amount to inviting litigation, but stressed that the Supreme Court remained open to anyone who wished to approach it.

The CJI also pointed out that, apart from a one-page letter addressed to the Secretary General of the Supreme Court, no formal petition had been filed.

He said the Secretary General was not the authority to decide such matters and explained that while the Court may treat representations from ordinary citizens as suo motu matters in deserving cases, a lawyer practising in the Supreme Court was expected to file a proper petition instead of seeking action on the basis of a brief application.

Addressing the controversy over the "cockroach" remark, the CJI said the observation arose during a discussion on lawyers who had allegedly secured fake or unrecognised law degrees. He said he had been informed that nearly 48,000 lawyers across the country possessed degrees that were never issued by the universities they claimed.

"It was in that context that I said they were virtually like cockroaches. My observation was made only in that context, about where they were coming from and how they had entered the system. It was never about the youth. That is why I said I had been completely misquoted," he said.

Call For Reporting Protocol

The CJI also called for a formal protocol governing the recording, dissemination, and reporting of court proceedings in the era of live streaming. Referring to an interim order on the recording of court proceedings, he welcomed the Supreme Court Bar Association's initiative in raising the issue.

He said oral mentionings should either be accompanied by an official media briefing or should not be reported at all. According to him, mentionings are primarily administrative exercises in which the Chief Justice decides whether a matter deserves an urgent, out-of-turn hearing.

The CJI explained that other judges on the Bench do not participate in the mentioning process and that the observations made during such proceedings are administrative rather than judicial. He said these remarks were increasingly being reported without context, leading to misunderstandings and avoidable controversies.

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Emphasising the need for greater care in reporting court proceedings, the CJI said the protocol under discussion should help ensure that comments made during administrative proceedings are presented accurately and in their proper context.

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