‘Misquoted by media,’ claims CJI after backlash over ‘cockroaches’ remark about unemployed youth

Chief Justice Surya Kant on Saturday claimed that his reported remarks comparing some unemployed youngsters to “cockroaches” had been misquoted by sections of the media, Live Law reported.

Kant said it was baseless to claim that he criticised young people in general.

Earlier in the day, the chief justice had been quoted as saying by PTI that some unemployed youngsters were like “cockroaches”, and that they go on to become social media or Right to Information Act activists and start attacking the “system”, PTI reported.

The remarks were made when a bench of Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi pulled up a lawyer for filing a petition seeking directions to the Delhi High Court to designate him as a senior advocate, The Indian Express reported.

There were already enough “parasites” in society attacking the judiciary, he said, adding that lawyers should not join hands with them.

“There are youngsters like cockroaches, who don’t get any employment or have any place in profession,” PTI quoted Kant as saying. “Some of them become media, some of them become social media, RTI activists and other activists and they start attacking everyone.”

After the remarks were criticised on social media, Kant claimed he had specifically criticised “those who have entered professions like the Bar [legal profession] with the aid of fake and bogus degrees,” according...

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