CJP leaders Saurav Das, Ashutosh Ranka released after 7 days in judicial custody

Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) co-convenors Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka were released from judicial custody on Wednesday after a Special Executive Magistrate ordered their release in connection with a protest at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar on 14 October.

The two were produced before the magistrate, and their sureties were submitted during the proceedings. They had initially been remanded to five days of judicial custody, which was extended by two days on 19 October.

The release order came hours after Das and Ranka withdrew their petition in the Delhi High Court challenging the extension of their custody.

The CJP leaders have been protesting against chief election commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, demanding his resignation over alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and the deletion of voters’ names.

Earlier on Wednesday, Justice Subramonium Prasad questioned why the two had approached the High Court without first pursuing alternative legal remedies and suggested that they await the magistrate’s decision.

“Would it not be better for you to withdraw this, see what happens at 2 PM and then follow the course of law,” the judge said.

Their lawyer, Abhik Chimni, argued that the 19 October order did not adequately explain the immediate threat posed by the two. He also challenged the repeated rejection of their sureties and sought their release on personal bonds.

The High Court pointed to remedies available under the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) and allowed the petition to be withdrawn without expressing an opinion on its merits.

Das and Ranka were first detained at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport on 10 October, ahead of planned protests against Kumar. Proceedings were initiated against them under Sections 126 and 170 of the BNSS, and they were released that day after furnishing peace bonds of Rs 50,000.

They were apprehended again on 14 October for allegedly entering Jantar Mantar during their Tiranga march and violating the peace bonds. The protest site had been denotified for demonstrations.

In the 19 October order, Special Executive Magistrate Ritu Raj said the two had deliberately breached their bonds. The magistrate also sought fresh sureties after finding discrepancies in the documents submitted and receiving what were described as unsatisfactory answers during the inquiry.