CJP leaders Saurav Das, Ashutosh Ranka released after days in judicial custody

A Special Executive Magistrate (SEM) on Wednesday ordered the release of Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) leaders Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka, whose judicial custody over the October 14 Jantar Mantar protest was due to expire.The two were produced before the SEM, and their sureties were submitted during the proceedings. They had initially been remanded to five days’ judicial custody, which was extended by two days on October 19.Das and Ranka have been protesting against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, seeking his resignation over alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and the deletion of voters’ names.The release order came hours after the two withdrew their Delhi High Court petition challenging the custody extension. HIGH COURT PLEA WITHDRAWNEarlier in the day, Justice Subramonium Prasad questioned why they had approached the High Court without pursuing alternative legal remedies and suggested they await the SEM’s decision.“Would it not be better for you to withdraw this, see what happens at 2 PM and then follow the course of law,” the judge said. Their lawyer, Abhik Chimni, argued that the October 19 order did not adequately explain the immediate threat they posed. He also challenged the repeated rejection of their sureties and sought their release on personal bonds.The court pointed to remedies available under the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) and allowed the withdrawal without expressing an opinion on the merits.DETAINED FOR BREACHING PEACE BONDSDas and Ranka were first detained at an airport on October 10 ahead of planned protests against Kumar.They were proceeded against under Sections 126 and 170 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Suraksha Sanhita and released that day after furnishing peace bonds of Rs 50,000.They were apprehended again on October 14 for allegedly entering Jantar Mantar during their Tiranga march and violating the peace bonds. The site had been denotified for protests.In the October 19 order, SEM Ritu Raj said the two had deliberately breached their bonds. The SEM also sought fresh sureties after finding discrepancies in the documents submitted and receiving unsatisfactory answers during the inquiry.- Ends