NEW DELHI:
Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) leaders Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka have approached the Delhi High Court challenging the extension of their judicial custody, alleging that the order keeping them behind bars was illegal and violated their constitutional rights.
The two leaders moved the High Court on Tuesday, October 20, seeking an urgent hearing even as the court was closed for the Dussehra vacation. Their petition challenged an October 19 order passed by a Special Executive Magistrate at the Mandir Marg police station, extending their custody by another two days. The leaders were initially detained on October 13 after they allegedly climbed over a locked gate to enter Jantar Mantar, which had been de-notified as a designated protest site. They subsequently spent five days in judicial custody.
The petitioners have questioned the grounds for continuing their detention and the handling of their bail proceedings. According to their side, they had submitted multiple sureties but remained in custody despite seeking release. The case has also raised questions about the powers exercised by the Special Executive Magistrate and the legal basis for extending custody in a peace-bond proceeding. The High Court’s consideration of their petition is being closely watched amid the political controversy surrounding the CJP activists’ protest against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.