Delhi magistrate orders release of CJP founder Abhijit Dipke, Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka

A Delhi Executive Magistrate Court on Sunday ordered the release of Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) founder Abhijit Dipke and leaders Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka, the party’s legal affairs head Ratna Singh said.

The order came a day after the three leaders were detained by Delhi Police upon the arrival of their flight at Indira Gandhi International Airport. They had travelled to the national capital ahead of the party’s planned protest at Jantar Mantar against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.

The leaders were produced before the Executive Magistrate at Delhi Cantonment Police Station on Sunday morning, following which the court ordered their release.

Leaders detained ahead of planned Jantar Mantar protest

Dipke, Das and Ranka were detained on Saturday after an Air India flight from Mumbai landed in Delhi. Police personnel boarded the aircraft and took the three leaders into custody before they could leave the airport.

The detentions came amid heightened security arrangements across the capital ahead of the CJP’s proposed demonstration, dubbed ‘Jantar Mantar 2.0’. The party had called for the protest to demand Kumar’s resignation over alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.

Delhi Police had denied permission for the demonstration, citing law-and-order concerns, public safety and the potential inconvenience to residents. The authorities subsequently deployed personnel across the capital to prevent protesters from reaching the designated protest site.

Detentions trigger questions over police action

The detention of the three leaders drew criticism from the CJP, which questioned the police action and raised concerns over their access to legal assistance and the circumstances surrounding their custody.

A petition was also moved before the Supreme Court seeking the release of detained CJP leaders and other protesters. It challenged the legality of the detentions and sought details of the grounds on which the individuals had been taken into custody.

The petition raised questions about the application of prohibitory orders and sought the preservation of relevant police records, including CCTV footage and custody documents.

Protest over electoral roll revision

The CJP’s proposed demonstration is part of its campaign against the SIR exercise, which has become a contentious political issue. The party has demanded that the Chief Election Commissioner resign, alleging irregularities in the electoral roll revision process.

The planned protest was also marked by a sweeping security operation on Saturday, with police preventing demonstrators from reaching Jantar Mantar and detaining thousands of people across the capital, according to media reports.

The court’s order directing the release of Dipke, Das and Ranka marks a fresh development in the dispute over the police action ahead of the demonstration. The order, however, does not by itself determine the merits of the allegations surrounding the electoral roll revision or the legality of the broader police operation.