A Delhi court on Wednesday ordered the release of Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) co-convenors Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka after they spent seven days in judicial custody in connection with a protest at Jantar Mantar against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
The Special Executive Magistrate (SEM) passed the release order after accepting the sureties furnished by the two leaders. Das's release order stated that he could be released from Tihar Jail, provided he was not required to be detained in any other case.
Das and Ranka were initially remanded to five days of judicial custody on October 14 for allegedly entering Jantar Mantar, which had been denotified as a designated protest site, and violating peace bonds. Their custody was extended by another two days on October 19.
Earlier on Wednesday, the two leaders withdrew their petition before the Delhi High Court challenging the extension of their custody. Justice Subramonium Prasad asked them to await the outcome of the proceedings before the Special Executive Magistrate and pursue the appropriate legal remedies if they remained dissatisfied with the decision.
The leaders had argued that the October 19 order did not adequately establish an immediate threat to public peace and questioned the repeated rejection of their sureties. They sought release on personal bonds, while the High Court pointed to alternative legal remedies available under the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS).
The two were initially detained at an airport on October 10 ahead of planned protests against Gyanesh Kumar. They were released that day after furnishing peace bonds of Rs 50,000. They were apprehended again on October 14 after allegedly attempting to hold a Tiranga protest at Jantar Mantar.
In its October 19 order, the Special Executive Magistrate said the two had deliberately breached their peace bonds and raised concerns about a possible breach of peace. The magistrate also sought fresh sureties after finding discrepancies in the documents submitted and receiving unsatisfactory responses during verification.
The release order brings their period of judicial custody in the case to an end.
