India, May 26 -- A lawyer from Haryana's Panipat has filed an application with the Election Commission of India (ECI) to register the online satirical collective Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) in his own name, separately from its US-based founder Abhijeet Dipke, people aware of the matter said on Tuesday.

Sudhir Jakhar, the lawyer calling himself the party's national convener, submitted the application to the ECI secretary for registration under Section 29A of the Representation of the People Act. The application carries the CJP's cockroach logo and Jakhar's designation as a lawyer. A Jakhar-registered CJP could claim its social media handles.

The CJP was launched this month amid outrage over Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant's remar...