K Annamalai backed CJP leaders Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka while questioning Delhi Police's conduct. His intervention intensified scrutiny of their custody and the electoral roll revision protests.
Annamalai described the police’s handling of the case as a “real disservice.” (Credits: PTI)
New Delhi,Oct 21, 2026 11:47 IST
Former Tamil Nadu BJP president K Annamalai on Tuesday backed the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) and questioned Delhi Police’s handling of the case against its leaders Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka.
Annamalai, who quit the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in June and has since launched his political outfit, We The Leaders, said the continued judicial custody of the CJP leaders raised concerns about the rule of law.
He said he might disagree with some of the party’s protest methods but supported the questions it had raised.
“I have a feeling they (Delhi Police) have taken the law into their hands, and the judge gets recused,” Annamalai said.
He added that disagreements over the CJP’s protests should not determine how its leaders were treated by the authorities.
“It is for the government to answer. But to arrest them for a violation and again to drag them in terms of how they spend their time in jail, that is only going to make the leaders of CJP stronger,” he said.
Annamalai described the police’s handling of the case as a “real disservice”.
He also said Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi had every right to question the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, but cautioned against causing damage to institutions.
“Rahul Gandhi has every right to question the SIR process, but institutional damage should not be caused,” he said.
COURT EXTENDS CJP LEADERS’ CUSTODY
Annamalai’s remarks came a day after a Delhi court extended the judicial custody of Das and Ranka by two days. The CJP leaders were detained after entering Jantar Mantar, which is no longer a designated protest venue, and obstructing police personnel on duty.
According to the account of the incident, CJP workers waved the national flag and raised slogans against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar before being detained and placed in custody.
Their lawyer said their bail sureties were rejected because of a reported mismatch in documents. The two leaders were scheduled to be produced before the court on Wednesday.
The CJP has been protesting against the SIR process and demanding the resignation of the Chief Election Commissioner. The party has questioned the revision of electoral rolls, while the Election Commission has maintained that eligible voters whose names were wrongly deleted can apply for re-enrolment.
ABHIJEET DIPKE QUESTIONS PM MODI’S LEADERSHIP
Meanwhile, CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke questioned Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership and praised Das and Ranka for remaining defiant despite spending five days in judicial custody.
“You must be feeling very strong keeping a 26-year-old Saurav Das in jail. You must be feeling very strong beating children on the streets. You must be feeling very strong putting up barricades across Delhi and dragging students on the streets,” Dipke said.
He claimed that Das and Ranka had gone to Jantar Mantar to wave the national flag but were sent to judicial custody. Dipke also alleged that their court hearings had been repeatedly postponed.
“Is this strength? Hiding behind the police, hiding behind the courts, is this Narendra Modi’s strength?” he asked.
Annamalai’s intervention comes as he establishes his own political identity after leaving the BJP, while the legal proceedings against the CJP leaders continue.
- Ends
With ANI inputs