The outcome was awaited: Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) leaders Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka were produced at Mandir Marg police station on Monday as the five-day judicial custody ordered on October 14 came to an end.
New Delhi: The Delhi Police on October 19 brought Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka, leaders of the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), before the Special Executive Magistrate (SEM) at the Mandir Marg police station, a day after their release hearing was put off amid a dispute over sureties and the magistrate’s complaint of threats [Preventive proceedings concerning Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka, Special Executive Magistrate, New Delhi].
What happened at Monday’s proceeding was not available at the time of writing. The SEM hearing the matter is an officer of the rank of Assistant Commissioner of Police who exercises the powers of an executive magistrate.
How the two came to be in custody
The two were held after they allegedly entered Jantar Mantar by scaling its locked gates, when the site was no longer a designated protest venue. On October 14 the SEM sent Das and Ranka to five days’ judicial custody. A third member, Ajinkya Shinde, was let off on a personal bond and surety, and the matter was listed on October 19 for further inquiry.
Before the magistrate, the police alleged that the two had breached earlier peace bonds and obstructed personnel posted at the site. Those bonds date back to the October 10 detention of CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke, Das and Ranka, who were released on October 11 on Rs 50,000 surety bonds requiring peace and good behaviour for one year. The defence disputes any breach and says the leaders went to a public place, waved the national flag and raised slogans without breaking the law.
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Sunday: a hearing that never quite began
The release hearing had been fixed for noon on Sunday, October 18, at the Mandir Marg police station. CJP legal head Ratna Singh said she had been at the station since 11 am, and that the SEM had still not arrived by 4:42 pm. Four sureties, she said, had been turned down on “vague reasons”, and she alleged a “misuse of power” by SEM courts.
The matter was finally taken up in the evening. The SEM cited threats and harassment connected with the case, and the hearing was adjourned. Delhi Police have registered a non-cognisable report against unidentified persons over the alleged threats to the magistrate. The nature of the threat, and who made it, has not been disclosed.
Two accounts of the delay
The police deny deliberately slowing things down. A senior officer said the prescribed procedure, which includes verifying documents and sureties, had to be followed, and police said the surety bonds offered were faulty. The CJP describes the delay as a tactic to keep the two in custody; on October 17 it said it had consulted Senior Advocate Kapil Sibal and would take legal action if they were not released. These are the parties’ contentions, and no court has tested either account.
The law behind the proceedings
This is a preventive process and not a criminal trial. Under Section 126 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023, an Executive Magistrate who has sufficient grounds can ask a person to show cause why a bond to keep the peace for up to one year should not be ordered.
Section 130 calls for a written order stating the information relied on, and Section 135 for an inquiry into whether that information is true. Under Section 135(3), an interim bond can be directed, with reasons recorded in writing, and the person can be kept in custody until the bond is executed or the inquiry ends. Custody in such proceedings is not a finding of guilt.
LawChakra has not seen the SEM’s written orders. This report will be updated once the outcome of Monday’s proceeding is known.
Matter: Preventive proceedings concerning Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka
Forum: Special Executive Magistrate, Mandir Marg police station, New Delhi
Date: October 19, 2026 (production after five-day judicial custody ordered on October 14, 2026)
Provisions reported: Sections 126 and 170, BNSS
Appearances: CJP legal team led by Ratna Singh; other appearances not available