NEW DELHI, October 21 (Aalimi Nation) – A Delhi court on Wednesday ordered the release of Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka, leaders of the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), after they spent seven days in judicial custody over an alleged breach of peace bonds linked to a protest at Jantar Mantar.
The order was passed by a Special Executive Magistrate after a hearing that lasted about an hour and a half, according to details from the proceedings. It was the third time the two leaders had appeared before the magistrate, and two earlier attempts to secure their release had failed. Accounts of the hearing differ on the exact paperwork: some say the leaders submitted a written apology and an affidavit, while others say the court accepted their sureties and approved personal release bonds. Das can be freed from Tihar Jail provided he is not wanted in any other matter.
How the CJP leaders case unfolded
The sequence began on October 10, when Das and Ranka were stopped at an airport ahead of protests planned in Delhi against the Chief Election Commissioner. They were subjected to preventive proceedings under Sections 126 and 170 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) and were released the next day after furnishing peace bonds of Rs 50,000 each.
On October 14, they were taken into custody again, this time for allegedly entering Jantar Mantar and unfurling the national flag in breach of prohibitory orders. Executive Magistrate Mahesh Kumar Meena remanded them to five days of judicial custody.
On October 19, Special Executive Magistrate Ritu Raj extended the custody by two days. The magistrate observed that the leaders had deliberately breached their bonds and had committed a breach of the peace soon after being released. Delhi Police sought a further extension on Wednesday, citing what it described as an "imminent threat", but the request was not accepted.
High Court plea withdrawn
Before the hearing, the leaders sought an urgent hearing in the Delhi High Court on their challenge to the October 19 order. The court heard the matter but granted no relief, remarking that when protest leaders break barricades, others may follow. The petition was withdrawn, and it was reported that Justice Subramonium Prasad had said they could seek a revision if the magistrate did not grant relief.
What the CJP and its lawyers said
The party's legal head, Ratna Singh, said the defence had argued that there was no call for any further protest and that custody could not be extended merely on an assumption that a protest might take place in future. Welcoming the order, she said it "should have come much earlier, but it is still not too late".
Speaking after his release, Das said: "Truth has triumphed." Aafreen Nawaz, the party's national secretary, said the two leaders had shown resilience and that they "always had hope in democracy".
