Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) leaders Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka were remanded to five days’ judicial custody on Wednesday for allegedly trespassing into private property to reach Jantar Mantar, a denotified protest site, and violating bonds requiring them to maintain peace, police said. Their associate, Ajinkya Shinde, was bound down to maintain peace and good behaviour for six months and released on a personal bond with a surety of `5,000.
Delhi Police has registered two FIRs against 14 members of the CJP for allegedly trespassing into Jantar Mantar, which has been denotified as a designated protest site, and obstructing police personnel from discharging their official duties.
In his order, Special Executive Magistrate (SEM) Mahesh Kumar Meena said the leaders’ past conduct showed they had violated lawful directions of the authorities. He noted that they had executed bonds to maintain peace and good behaviour for a year but allegedly breached them after their release by issuing protest calls on social media and attempting to mobilise people at Jantar Mantar on Saturday (October 10).
Two CJP leaders in judicial custody
“The past conduct of both accused persons shows that they violated the lawful directions of the authorities. The present conduct of both accused persons shows that they are likely to breach peace and tranquillity in the area. From the material on record, it is imperative that the above-said respondents, after having executed a bond/bail bond for keeping the peace in pursuance of an order of a SEM South West under Section 136 BNSS, have again committed breach of the bond/bail bond, which is evident from their conduct/social media posts and the statement of the complainant.
Thus, I, Mahesh Kumar Meena, SEM, New Delhi, am satisfied that sufficient grounds exist to proceed against the respondents.
According to police, the Special Executive Magistrate sent Das and Ranka to Tihar jail for five days after considering the kalandra (preventive police report) details, their repeated violations of the law, and the serious apprehension that, if released on bail, they would violate the law again and instigate others. They were produced before the Special Executive Magistrate on Wednesday morning. The CJP leaders were detained early Tuesday after they, along with 11 other activists, allegedly breached barricades and entered the Jantar Mantar area without authorisation, raised slogans against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, and erected a national flag there.
Police said Das and Ranka, who were detained on Saturday as well, had signed bonds to maintain peace for a year. The action against the CJP leaders comes amid heightened security in the national Capital following a series of protests held by the youth-led outfit and other organisations demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls.
Condemning the arrest of CJP leaders for trying to enter the Jantar Mantar protest site, Rahul Gandhi, Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, said on Wednesday that waving the Tricolour at Jantar Mantar in a peaceful protest is “not a crime”.
“Jailing youth for it is an act of cowardice. Students. Youth. Journalists. The INDIA bloc. Different banners, one cause. All protests are one: citizens demanding their constitutional rights. Jantar Mantar belongs to the people of India. We will reclaim it,” Gandhi said in a post on X. And CJP leader Abhijeet Dipke replied, “Thank you, LoP @RahulGandhi sir, for speaking out against the illegal arrest of @Ashutosh Ranka & @Saurav Das.” The post marks a major shift in the Congress’s stance on the CJP, sparked by a social media trend in May. Voices in the main Opposition party were initially skeptical of the CJP, which led to the 17-day demonstration against paper leaks at Jantar Mantar in July.
In a statement, Delhi Police said that on the morning of October 13, Saurav Das, Ashutosh Ranka, Ajinkya Shinde, and 11 other CJP members entered Jantar Mantar, a denotified designated protest site, by trespassing through a private premise.
“Police personnel deployed at the spot intervened and attempted to stop them. However, the protesters allegedly obstructed police personnel in the discharge of their official duties,” the statement said.
All 14 persons were detained, and an FIR was registered against them at Connaught Place Police Station under Sections 223a (disobedience to an order duly promulgated by a public servant), 332 (house-trespass to commit an offence) and 61(2) (criminal conspiracy) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita on October 13 and another FIR was filed at the Parliament Street Police Station under Sections 221 (obstructing a public servant in discharge of his public functions), 115(2) (voluntarily causing hurt), 132 (assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty), 121(1) (voluntarily causing hurt or grievous hurt to deter public servant from his duty) and 3(5) (common intention), the police statement said. Sections 332, 132 and 121(1) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita are non-bailable offences. In view of their alleged attempts to disturb public peace and violate the law, Das, Ranka, and Shinde were arrested under the relevant preventive provisions of law, the statement said.
“Their alleged attempts to instigate others through social media to engage in similar unlawful activities were also taken into consideration. The three individuals were produced before the Special Executive Magistrate, where proceedings under Sections 126 and 170 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita were initiated,” it added.
The Special Executive Magistrate court sent Das and Ranka to jail for five days and bound down Shinde to maintain peace and good behaviour for six months, they said.