Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) founder Abhijeet Dipke shared a video of party leaders Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka following their release from judicial custody.
In the video, the duo is seen holding the Indian national flag and reiterating their demand for the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
"Bharat Mata ki Jai, Inquilab Zindabad and Gyanu must go", Das and Ranka said in the video, reaffirming their stand on the demand for the CEC’s resignation. The development came after the Special Executive Magistrate’s (SEM) ordered release of the two leaders on Wednesday.
Why Das and Ranka were detained
Das and Ranka were sentenced on October 14 after they allegedly climbed over a locked gate to enter Jantar Mantar, which had previously been de-notified as a designated protest site.
The case unfolded amid a dispute over the status of Jantar Mantar as an authorised protest venue. On October 11, Delhi Police withdrew the site’s designation as an authorised protest location. The decision has since been challenged separately before the Supreme Court and the Delhi High Court.
Two days after the withdrawal of the designation, on October 13, Das and Ranka visited Jantar Mantar carrying the national flag. They were detained the following day, and the Special Executive Magistrate (SEM) subsequently remanded them to five days of judicial custody, citing concerns over a possible breach of peace.
CJP leaders released after 7-day custody
On October 19, the magistrate rejected the sureties submitted on their behalf, citing doubts about the sureties’ ability to ensure the leaders’ compliance and discrepancies in identity documents. As a result, their judicial custody was extended by another two days.
They were released after the period of judicial custody expired, prompting CJP to welcome the magistrate’s subsequent order. The party’s legal head, Ratna Singh, said the decision should have been taken earlier.
The party’s protests against CEC Gyanesh Kumar have centred on alleged irregularities in the SIR of electoral rolls. The controversy surrounding the Chief Election Commissioner intensified following an Indian Express report that said Election Commissioners had raised objections to decisions taken by Kumar on 14 occasions over a period of 10 months.
The Election Commission, however, maintained that all its decisions had been unanimous.