Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) leaders Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka were sent to 5 days' judicial custody by a court in Delhi on Wednesday, a day after they were taken into custody for trespassing into Jantar Mantar amid their protest against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.Das and Ranka were produced before a Special Executive Magistrate at Mandir Marg, following which they were sent to prison.
Ajinkya Shinde, who also accompanied them during the incident, was let off on bail after signing a bond of Rs 5,000 and on the condition of not taking in part in activities that disrupt public order for a year.
Saurav Das, Ashutosh Ranka and Ajinkya Shinde were detained on October 13 after climbing the locked gates of Jantar Mantar, a day after the site ceased to be a designated protest venue.
Delhi Police later put them on preventive arrest, while CJP’s head of legal affairs, Ratna Singh, alleged that the leaders were denied access to lawyers until late Tuesday night.
Why CJP leaders have been jailed
During the hearing, Delhi Police argued that the accused had disturbed public order and violated the conditions stipulated in their bonds.
According to the police, the accused had formally called on people to participate in the protest. Citing these allegations, the police sought action against them. The court then ordered that the accused be sent to judicial custody for five days.
What happened at Jantar Mantar
Das and Ranka were detained by Delhi Police on Tuesday after attempting to stage a protest at Jantar Mantar against Gyanesh Kumar over the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) controversy. The action came after Delhi Police denied permission to political parties and organisations to hold demonstrations at the site, citing law and order concerns, and removed Jantar Mantar from the list of designated protest venues.
The duo, along with several others, reportedly managed to enter the area by scaling a gate near the JDU national office, bypassing the heavy security deployment at the site. Sharing a video of the incident, CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke described the protesters as "Cockroaches with the Tiranga" and said they had entered Jantar Mantar early in the morning before being detained by Delhi Police.
The video shows CJP leaders Ranka and Das, accompanied by a few volunteers, climbing over a gate with the Tricolour in their hands to enter the premises and stage a demonstration. The protesters raised slogans such as "Bharat Mata Ki Jai" and "Gyanesh Kumar must resign" as police personnel stationed at the site moved to intercept them.
A brief confrontation reportedly took place as police attempted to stop the demonstrators, following which the protesters were detained and taken away.
Reacting to the action, Dipke wrote, "Resistance cannot be denotified," challenging the Centre's decision to remove Jantar Mantar's status as a designated protest site.