Court Extends Custody of Cockroach Janata Party Leaders
A New Delhi magistrate extended the judicial remand of Cockroach Janata Party leaders Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka following protests against electoral roll revisions.
A special executive magistrate in New Delhi extended the judicial remand of Cockroach Janata Party leaders Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka for two additional days on Monday. The leaders were originally detained on October 13 for allegedly trespassing at Jantar Mantar, which the Delhi Police had de-notified as a designated protest site the previous day. The activists were protesting alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls and targeting Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
Although the leaders were scheduled to appear in court on October 19 following a five-day custody period, the court rejected their surety, citing an alleged mismatch in photographs. This decision returned Das and Ranka to judicial custody. Defense lawyers Abhik Chimni and Pushp Sharma criticized the proceedings, alleging the magistrate delayed the order to consult outside parties and failed to provide evidence justifying the continued detention.
Ratna Singh, the party's head of legal affairs, condemned the ruling as an attempt to stifle dissent and mental torture. Advocate Abhisht Hela further claimed that authorities completely disregarded Supreme Court precedents when ordering the initial judicial custody. The Cockroach Janata Party has announced plans to challenge the custody order in a higher court.
