The CJP accused authorities of delaying proceedings to prevent its leaders' release. The party plans to challenge their continued judicial custody before higher courts.
Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka are still in jail after they were arrested on October 13.(Photo: PTI)
Newdelhi,Oct 19, 2026 07:58 IST
The Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) has accused the authorities of deliberately prolonging what it called the illegal arrest of its leaders Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka by delaying court proceedings and rejecting bail sureties on vague grounds, news agency PTI reported.
The allegations came as Delhi Police registered a non-cognisable report against unidentified persons over alleged threats received by the Special Executive Magistrate hearing the matter. Police did not respond to the CJP's allegations.
Das and Ranka remained in judicial custody after they were arrested for entering Jantar Mantar by scaling its locked gates. The site had recently been denotified as a designated protest venue. They were arrested on October 13 and sent to five days of judicial custody.
CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke said in a post on X, "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." He added, "They have no legal grounds to keep them behind bars, so they are resorting to delaying tactics to keep them there."
CJP legal head Ratna Singh accused Delhi Police and the authorities of obstructing proceedings before the Special Executive Magistrate. She alleged that a hearing scheduled for noon was delayed for hours and that the magistrate and public prosecutor arrived around 5.30 pm.
Addressing the media after the proceedings, Singh alleged that the focus was shifted from the release of the two leaders to a purported threatening message received by the magistrate. "The Public Prosecutor, who failed to appear for four consecutive days, suddenly arrived today and attempted to divert the proceedings toward an alleged threatening message," she said.
Singh said the CJP's lawyers asked the magistrate to identify the sender and take action against the person, but their submissions were not heard. "Our lawyers have said that if someone has threatened you, you should take action against them. Put their number in the order. Tell us their name," she said.
Questioning the relevance of the alleged threat to the proceedings involving Das and Ranka, Singh said no verification or supporting documents had been placed on record. "What does this have to do with Ashutosh and Saurav's case?" she asked.
Delhi Police registered a non-cognisable report against an unidentified person for allegedly threatening the magistrate, PTI reported. In such cases, police generally cannot arrest an accused without a warrant or investigate without a magistrate's permission. Details of the alleged threats and those involved were not immediately available.
Singh also alleged that the verification of sureties submitted by the two leaders had been delayed and that four sureties were rejected on vague grounds. She questioned why further approval was required for a fixed deposit receipt carrying a bank stamp.
"Nothing on record with respect to verification. Nothing on record with respect to Saurav and Ashutosh," she said.
Accusing the authorities of deliberately prolonging their detention, Singh said, "The conspiracy that they have made - that Ashutosh and Saurav should not be released was completely visible today. We all saw it. Today, there was no discussion on the case. There was no argument on merit."
"This is an illegal arrest. This is a conspiracy by the state. This is a conspiracy by the Delhi Police that they want to keep Saurav and Ashutosh in jail," she alleged.
Singh said the lawyers had waited for hours and questioned the repeated delays despite approaching the lower court as directed by higher courts. "When we go to the higher courts, they tell us to follow the process. Go to the lower courts. Start from the bottom. We followed everything," she said.
The CJP said it would seek legal remedies before higher judicial forums against what it described as deliberate obstruction and the prolonged detention of its leaders.
Das and Ranka were sent to five days of judicial custody on October 14 after entering Jantar Mantar a day after it was denotified as a designated protest site. The CJP leaders said they had unfurled the national flag and raised slogans.
The party has been protesting against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls, alleging that the exercise threatens voters' rights. It has also opposed the denotification of Jantar Mantar as a designated protest site.
On Saturday, the CJP said it had consulted senior advocate Kapil Sibal and warned of legal action if Das and Ranka were not released by Sunday. "If Ashu and Saurav are not released by tomorrow, we will pursue legal action against all those who deliberately ensured that they continue to be in illegal custody, especially when they have not committed nor charged with any offence," the party said in a post on X.
"The deliberate use of delaying tactics to keep them behind bars cannot go unchallenged. Those responsible will be held accountable," it added.
Das and Ranka, arrested after entering the denotified protest site at Jantar Mantar, remained in judicial custody as the CJP alleged deliberate delays in their release and said it would challenge the proceedings before higher judicial forums.
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