New Delhi: Cockroach Janta Party's legal head has moved Delhi High Court for an urgent midnight hearing on October 20. Ratna Singh, the legal affairs head of CJP, took to her X and wrote, 'Saurav and Ashutosh should not spend a single minute behind bars.'
The tweet comes after Special Executive Magistrate(SEM) extended the custody of Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka by two days in Tihar jail, Delhi.
Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka were produced before Special Executive Magistrate Ritu Raj after their initial five-day judicial custody ended. The court rejected fresh sureties submitted on their behalf and extended their custody by two days.
In its order, the court said the conduct of Ranka and Das indicated that their earlier assurances would not be sufficient to prevent a repeat of the alleged violations. The court also observed that the two had “deliberately breached” bonds furnished earlier and expressed concerns over the possibility of a breach of peace.
The extension comes amid an ongoing crackdown on protests linked to the CJP's campaign against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and its allegations of irregularities in the electoral process. The Election Commission has rejected the allegations.
Ranka and Das were initially detained on October 10 ahead of a planned CJP protest in Delhi. They were later detained again on October 13 after they and other activists entered Jantar Mantar by allegedly scaling locked gates and barricades, despite the site having been de-notified as an authorised protest venue. The protesters were demanding the resignation of Gyanesh Kumar.
Following the October 13 incident, Ranka and Das were sent to five days of judicial custody from October 14. Their custody was subsequently extended, with the latest order keeping them in Tihar Jail until October 21.
The case has attracted wider political attention, with opposition figures and civil society groups questioning the use of preventive detention against protesters, while authorities have maintained that the restrictions were necessary to preserve public order.