By Matters India Reporter
New Delhi, May 16, 2026: The Delhi Union of Journalists (DUJ) has strongly condemned Chief Justice of India Surya Kant’s reported remarks likening unemployed youth to “cockroaches,” calling them “intemperate” while stressing social media’s role as a democratic platform for diverse voices.
According to reports, the CJI told a lawyer, “There are already parasites of society who attack the system and you want to join hands with them? There are youngsters like cockroaches, who don’t get any employment and don’t have any place in profession. Some of them become media, some of them become social media, some of them become RTI activists, some of them become other activists, and they start attacking everyone.”
The DUJ said such comments unfairly target unemployed journalists and activists. “Almost six months ago, he had criticised the trade unions for stunning industrial growth and closing factories. Now, continuing the blaming of victims, he trained his guns on the unemployed youth in the country,” the union noted in its statement.
The press release pointed out that unemployment is rising even in government surveys, and many professional journalists have been forced out of mainstream media due to corporate and political pressures.
“Many mainstream journalists, extremely competent journalists with years of professional experience behind them, have in the past decade been forced out of the system as they are unwilling to toe the government line,” the DUJ said, adding that many now continue their work independently on YouTube, Facebook, Instagram and other platforms.
The union stressed that social media reflects “a diversity of voices and perspectives” often absent in corporate-owned outlets. “It is extremely distressing to hear from the highest in the judiciary that such people are activists and no better than cockroaches,” the statement said.
The DUJ urged the judiciary to empathize with unemployed and underemployed citizens, including journalists and lawyers, instead of labeling them as “parasites.” It also encouraged journalism students and young professionals to persist in questioning the system, calling it “an essential element in democracy.”
The statement was signed by DUJ President Sujata Madhok, Vice President S.K. Pande, and General Secretary A.M. Jigeesh.
(Image Courtesy: Twitter)