Chief Justice of India Surya Kant on Saturday said sections of the media had “misquoted” his oral observations made during a hearing a day earlier, clarifying that his remarks were directed at people who enter professions, including the Bar, using fake or bogus degrees.
He said it was “totally baseless” to suggest that he had criticized the youth of the country.
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CJI Surya Kant says there are "parasites" attacking the system.
— Live Law (@LiveLawIndia) May 15, 2026
"There are youngsters like cockroaches, who don't get any employment and don't have any place in the profession. Some of them become media, some of them become social media, some of them become RTI activists, some… pic.twitter.com/gwwOq8VcaK
Not a barb for the young at all
In the clarification, the CJI said he was “pained” to read that his remarks had been reported out of context during what he described as a “frivolous case.”
He added that those he had criticized were people who had “sneaked into the media, social media, and other noble professions” by using false credentials and described them as “parasites.”
He also said Indian youth were “the pillars of a developed India” and stressed that he was proud of the country’s present and future human resources.
CJI Surya Kant says media misquoted 'cockroaches' remark; criticism was against fake degree holders, not unemployed youth
— Daily Kalesh (@RojKaKalesh) May 16, 2026
Media reports claimed that the CJI, while hearing a case on May 15, had likened the unemployed youth of the country to cockroaches and parasites. pic.twitter.com/tPhRKNMx7F
A few oral observations, and much noise
The clarification followed reports on Friday that the bench of CJI Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi had made sharp oral observations while hearing a contempt petition filed by advocate Sanjay Dubey against the registrar general of the Delhi High Court.
The petition concerned the alleged non-implementation of a Supreme Court judgment on the process of conferring senior designation. During that hearing, reports said the bench questioned the petitioner’s position and made remarks about people who do not get employment in the profession turning into media, social media, and RTI activists.
The remark that outran its meaning
The earlier remarks triggered criticism from activists, lawyers, journalists, and some MPs. The opponents said the language offended the spirit of democracy and shifted blame for unemployment onto young people rather than policy.
The comments were widely read as a comparison of some unemployed youth with “cockroaches,” which added to the backlash before the CJI’s clarification on Saturday.
