The Delhi High Court ordered the unblocking of the Cockroach Janta Party’s X account more than one and a half months after it was blocked under Section 69A of the Information Technology Act, 2000. The order came after the Centre informed the court that it had no objection to unblocking the account, which had been withheld in India ahead of the NEET examination, according to medianama.com.
The account was blocked at a time when lakhs of students were scheduled to appear for the NEET exam, with the government citing concerns over posts on X that could have caused chaos among students and parents. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta told the court the account was blocked to prevent such disruptions. After the exam concluded, Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma allowed the account to be unblocked, noting the government’s position that it had no difficulty with the unblocking but urged users to be more circumspect.
The blocking of the Cockroach Janta Party’s X account under Section 69A drew criticism from digital rights groups such as the Internet Freedom Foundation, which called the move a misuse of state power and disproportionate. The government had also restricted the messaging platform Telegram for a week ahead of the NEET re-exam to prevent cheating rackets, a measure supported by the National Testing Agency. These actions highlight the government’s approach to controlling online content during sensitive national exams.
The Delhi High Court’s decision to unblock the account was based on the Centre’s confirmation of no objection, with the hearing presided over by Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma. The NEET examination had concluded, removing the government’s stated reason for the block, as reported by medianama.com.