CJP alleges deliberate delay in release of Das, Ranka in judicial custody

CJP accused Delhi authorities of delaying two members’ release; police denied it, citing faulty surety bonds and threats to the magistrate.

Leaders of the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) on Sunday accused authorities of “deliberately prolonging” the release of party members Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka, who have been in judicial custody since October 14 after allegedly scaling the locked gates of Jantar Mantar, which had been denotified as a designated protest site.

The CJP said it had submitted multiple surety bonds since October 15 but alleged that police officials kept raising fresh objections, preventing the two leaders from being released. (HT Archive)

The Delhi Police denied allegations of deliberately delaying their release, saying the prescribed procedure was being followed and that the surety bonds submitted by the party were faulty. Further, police added that a first information report (FIR) had been registered on Sunday after the special executive magistrate (SEM) hearing the case reported receiving threats.

The SEM at Mandir Marg has yet to pass an order on the release of the two men, who are lodged in Tihar jail. They were detained on October 13 after entering the denotified protest site with other CJP members to unfurl the national flag, and were subsequently arrested.

In an order dated October 14, the SEM noted that Das and Ranka had breached a surety bond signed by them on October 11 to maintain peace. The order said they were being remanded to judicial custody for five days because “no sound surety” had been produced at that stage. The matter was listed for further inquiry on October 19.

“The state is deliberately prolonging Ashu and Saurav’s illegal arrest by using every dirty trick in the book to delay court proceedings and prevent their release. They have no legal grounds to keep them behind bars, so they are resorting to delaying tactics to keep them there,” CJP leader Abhijit Dipke wrote on X.

Aafreen Nawaz, the party’s national secretary, told HT that members had been visiting Mandir Marg police station for four days to complete the process. She alleged that officials had rejected successive surety submissions on different grounds, including objections to fixed deposits and the Delhi addresses of the people standing surety. “One day, DCP Sachin Sharma delayed and didn’t sign the bond. They then said our fixed deposits are not proper. But they already have bank stamps,” she said, adding that party volunteers had also been picked up and threatened.

Nawaz alleged that party representatives were told on Sunday that the SEM had received threats over releasing the duo and that a new magistrate would need to take up the matter. She said the party had sought assistance from senior Supreme Court lawyers but had been unable to secure their release.

Ratna Singh, the party’s head of legal affairs, also alleged that the hearing, scheduled for noon, was delayed until 5pm. She said verification had been completed and requirements met before the SEM cited a threatening message and deferred proceedings.

The Delhi Police said the SEM had reported receiving threatening messages on Sunday evening and that an FIR had been registered in New Delhi district on his complaint under provisions relating to criminal intimidation and threats.

“They have been filing faulty surety bonds and we can’t accept them. We have to follow procedure,” a senior police officer said. The officer added that the SEM had expressed concern about continuing to perform his duties under threat, prompting the police to register the FIR and begin an inquiry.

The police denied that the release process was being deliberately delayed, maintaining that the matter remained subject to due procedure.