A special executive magistrate ordered the release of CJP leaders Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka. The decision followed the expiry of custody despite police seeking an extension.
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Newdelhi,Oct 21, 2026 21:50 IST
The Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) on Wednesday welcomed a special executive magistrate's order releasing its leaders Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka, news agency Press Trust of India reported. The party's legal head, Ratna Singh, said the decision should have come earlier.
Das and Ranka were released after their judicial custody ended in connection with an October 14 protest at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi.
“We welcome the decision. I think this decision should have been taken long ago, but it is not too late,” Singh told reporters, according to PTI.
She said the police had sought a five-day extension of their custody, citing an imminent threat. However, the defence argued that there was no such threat and that no protest had been called.
“You cannot take that as an assumption and extend the judicial custody. The SEM has taken that on record,” she said, referring to the special executive magistrate.
Das and Ranka were initially remanded in judicial custody for five days on October 14 after being detained for allegedly entering Jantar Mantar, which was no longer a designated protest site, and violating peace bonds. Their custody was extended by two days on October 19.
Asked about the Delhi High Court's observations earlier in the day, Singh said the judge was entitled to express an opinion, but the CJP did not necessarily agree with it.
“They have given their opinion. It is an observation, an oral observation. There was no discussion on the merits in the court. We were here today for the release of Saurav and Ashutosh, for which we had been trying for the past week. Finally, that has happened,” she said.
Singh said the team was emotional and eager to meet the two leaders. “The team is also very emotional right now. They also want to meet them because everyone has not met them for a long time,” she said.
She expressed hope that nobody's liberty would be curtailed in the future over issues related to sureties or other technical reasons. Singh added that the release order had been sent and the team hoped to see Das and Ranka soon.
Earlier, the Delhi High Court had declined to intervene in the judicial custody of Das and Ranka. It asked them to await the special executive magistrate's decision and approach the appellate court if their grievance remained. The magistrate later ordered their release after their custody expired.
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