The Supreme Court on Monday (August 31, 2026) refused to pass orders on a plea seeking prohibition on a protest march the Cockroach Janata Party has called on September 5, saying it expects everybody will act and behave in a peaceful and lawful manner.

A bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V. Mohana asked the petitioner to submit his petition to the High Powered Enquiry Committee formed by it to examine allegations of police violence during the NEET protests.

“Let the matter be listed along with pending petitions. To be heard on September 10,” the bench said, issuing notice in the matter.

“They are expected to maintain law and order, and the enforcing agency has the responsibility to maintain law and order, saying what is illegal and what is permissible. We are expecting them to act within that framework. From both sides, we are expecting that they will respect, they will conduct themselves and they will follow the law of the land,” the bench said.

The CJP has called for a protest march in Delhi, accusing the Centre of failing to honour the promises made on July 25 to persuade the group to withdraw its 36-day agitation against examination irregularities.

The city police earlier said it had not received any request for a procession from India Gate to the Delhi Police Headquarters, despite the CJP announcing plans for one.

The plea, filed by retired Delhi Police officer Rajendra Singh, seeks a direction that no public call for large-scale mobilisation, march or organised demonstration in security-sensitive constitutional zones, including India Gate, Central Vista and adjoining areas, be acted upon unless the organisers have first obtained the requisite permissions.

It also seeks a direction that any proposed mobilisation in Lutyens’ Delhi be regulated, deferred or suitably modified until after the conclusion of the BRICS Summit scheduled for September 12-13.

The plea further seeks a direction that no march or procession proceed beyond the authorised limits except in accordance with lawful permissions and the regulatory framework governing the concerned area.

The CJP march is scheduled to take place on Teachers’ Day and would be led by families of students who committed suicide following the cancellation of the NEET earlier this year and the subsequent re-test, as well as those who were subjected to police excesses during the July agitation.

A glimpse at India’s recent history suggests that while some protest movements became successful political parties, others did not. The success of the recent youth movement started by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) should not be judged by whether it would become a successful political party nor by its forcing the former Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan to resign. Rather, the success of the CJP movement should be judged by the enthusiastic participation of young students for a cause which concerned them; the success of which has raised confidence in them.

They now believe that they can make the government hear their voices even if it is raised from a non-political platform.

Movements to parties

Very often the success of a movement is judged by not only what the movement was able to achieve but whether it was able to become a successful political party or not. The 1979 student’s agitation in Assam led by the All Assam Students Union transformed into a successful political party, the Asom Gana Parishad (AGP), which formed the government in 1985 in Assam. The India against corruption movement also transformed into a political party — the Aam Adami Party (AAP) which came to power in Delhi for the first time in 2013. Not only did the India against corruption movement draw large support, the AAP also enjoyed massive electoral gains; it won 67 and 62 seats out of a total of 70 Assembly seats in Delhi with a 54.3% and 53.5% vote share during the 2015 and 2020 Assembly elections respectively.

The AAP also formed a government in Punjab in 2022. 

In the success story of both the AGP and AAP, the youth played an important role. During the 2015 Assembly elections, the AAP’s vote share among young voters (18-22 years of age) was 63%, almost 10% higher compared to its average vote share. The AAP went on to draw 60% of the votes among young voters (18-22 years) during the 2020 Assembly elections as well — 7% higher compared to its average vote share.

If the CJP does turn into a political party, there is hardly any doubt that the new party will attract young voters, as has been the case with other newly formed parties. The newly formed Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK), led by actor-turned politician C. Joseph Vijay, formed the government in Tamil Nadu in the very first election it contested in 2026, replacing the two established formations mainly the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam. The youth played a very important role in the victory of the TVK. While the overall vote share of the TVK was 34.9%, its share among young voters (18-22) was significant at nearly 70%.

Nationally, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has an advantage among young voters, its vote share being 4% higher amongst voters in the age group of 18-22 years. Therefore, the rise of the CJP may affect the BJP more than any other party.

But the question remains, can the CJP attract young voters across the country?

Strong challengers

There have also been successful social movements which have failed as political parties. The movement for a separate State of Uttarakhand resulted in the formation of a new State and a new political party, the Uttarakhand Kranti Dal (UKD). However, it failed to make an electoral impact. During the 2002 election, which was the first election held after the formation of Uttarakhand, the UKD polled only 5.4% votes and won just four Assembly seats. There have been similar groups which have led protest movements, demanding Statehood and the like, but most of them could not become successful political parties.

However, there have been movements led by the youth, with the participation of larger social communities, which resulted in a change of the national government. The Jayaprakash Narayan led anti-emergency movement of 1977 dethroned the powerful Indira Gandhi-led government. Similarly, the anti-corruption movement led by Anna Hazare contributed to the defeat of the Congress-led coalition government in 2014.

It should be of no concern whether the CJP becomes a political party or not as the movement has already been able to achieve some noticeable milestones. It emphasised that issues take importance and not leaders as this movement was largely leaderless without the active support of any political party.

It also gave a large number of people the hope that their voices can be heard if they come together in a sustained manner. 

Sanjay Kumar is Professor and election analyst. Views expressed are personal.

Cockroach Janta Party’s (CJP) Telangana representative Vijay Mallangi has been appointed the party’s south India in-charge and national media lead as the organisation announced its first national leadership team and a six-month expansion plan.

As part of the party’s zonal leadership structure, Mr. Mallangi will oversee its organisational expansion across Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kerala. His responsibilities will include the formation of State and district-level committees, membership drives, public campaigns and implementation of national programmes.

The appointments were announced by the CJP national working committee, which also approved a six-month plan to expand the organisation’s presence across the country.

Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) chief spokesperson Saurav Das on Wednesday (August 5, 2026) alleged that certain YouTubers and media persons had entered his residence and filmed inside without consent, calling it “a serious invasion of privacy” and a security threat to him and his family. He is in Maharashtra to attend a two-day meeting of Citizens for Justice and Peace.

In a post on X, Mr. Das claimed that around 15 to 20 people had gathered outside his residence on Wednesday (August 5) morning, with some camping there since the previous night.

“It’s not just an invasion of my privacy but also a grave security threat to me and my family,” Mr. Das wrote. He said that if “anti-social elements” attacked him at his residence because of the videos, the YouTubers and those allegedly coordinating them would be directly responsible.

‘Police deployed’

An officer from the South district police told The Hindu that security personnel had been deployed outside Mr. Das’s residence after he raised the issue on X.

The officer said that since Mr. Das was not in Delhi, he had authorised someone to submit a draft complaint at the Greater Kailash police station on his behalf. “The complaint would be formally lodged, following which an investigation would be carried out,” the officer added.

Mr. Das’s post drew political reactions, with Aam Aadmi Party national convener and former Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal saying that “this is the real face of Modi”.

Trinamool Congress MP Derek O’Brien said the matter had been raised by his party in the Rajya Sabha onWednesday (August 5) afternoon.