Cockroach Janata Party leaders Sourabh Das and Ashutosh Ranka are set to be released from Tihar Jail as their custody period came to an end. They were presented before a Delhi special executive magistrate court on Wednesday evening, where they were granted bail. Prior to this development, both leaders had withdrawn their petition from the Delhi High Court that had challenged the extension of their judicial custody.
Sourabh Das and Ashutosh Ranka were initially taken into custody on October 13. They were accused of crossing a closed gate to enter Jantar Mantar. At that time, the Delhi police had already withdrawn the official designated protest site status from Jantar Mantar. Following this sequence of events, action was initiated against both individuals under allegations of attempting to breach public peace.
Background of the Jantar Mantar Protest and Detention
This entire legal matter stems from a protest organized by the Cockroach Janata Party demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. The party staged the protest over alleged irregularities found in the special intensive revision of voter lists, known as SIR. On October 11, the Delhi police rescinded the official protest site status of Jantar Mantar, a decision that has been separately challenged through petitions filed in the Supreme Court and the Delhi High Court.
Two days later on October 13, Sourabh Das and Ashutosh Ranka arrived at Jantar Mantar carrying the national flag. They were accused of crossing a closed gate to gain entry, and were taken into custody the following day. Subsequently, the special executive magistrate sent both of them to five days of judicial custody, citing apprehensions of a potential breach of peace.
Questions Over Sureties and Custody Extension
On October 19, the special executive magistrate refused to accept the sureties presented on behalf of the two political leaders. The court reportedly had doubts regarding the ability of the sureties to ensure that both individuals would follow established rules. Additionally, discrepancies were cited in the identification documents provided by the sureties.
Consequently, the judicial custody of both leaders was extended by another two days. Challenging this very order, Sourabh Das and Ashutosh Ranka had approached the Delhi High Court. However, they later chose to withdraw that petition. With their custody period concluding, the hearing in the SEM court proved crucial in securing their release.
Core Reasons Behind the Controversy Involving the CEC
The Cockroach Janata Party has been demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, alleging that irregularities occurred during the special intensive revision process of voter rolls. It was over this exact issue that the party staged a protest demonstration at Jantar Mantar.
Meanwhile, the controversy surrounding the Chief Election Commissioner drew further attention when a media report claimed that election commissioners had raised objections to the CEC decisions fourteen times over a span of ten months. In response, the election commission maintained that all its decisions were made unanimously.
