Delhi Court Orders Release of Jailed Cockroach Janta Party Leaders

A special executive magistrate court in Delhi ordered the release of two Cockroach Janta Party leaders on Wednesday after they spent 7 days in detention following a contentious demonstration at Jantar Mantar.

The leaders, Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka, were initially detained on October 13 after allegedly scaling a locked gate at the site and displaying the national flag to protest against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.

The release came as authorities faced mounting political pressure and legal scrutiny over the ongoing detention of activists belonging to the party.

Earlier in the day, the Delhi High Court advised the petitioners to withdraw a plea challenging an extension of their judicial custody and to await a ruling from the magistrate.

Justice Subramonium Prasad noted during the hearing that alternative remedies were available under the law.

"Liberty is sacrosanct. But if the Code provides for remedy… when there is already provision available," said Justice Subramonium Prasad, according to Live Law.

Lawyers representing the activists argued that the magistrate lacked jurisdiction to extend their custody and that surety conditions had been improperly rejected.

The High Court questioned whether authorities were entitled to impose stricter conditions following an alleged second breach of a peace bond by the leaders.

"Once you have broken peace for the second time, are the authorities not entitled to insist upon everything?" the bench asked, according to the Times of India.

The court also expressed concern that breaching barricades at the venue could encourage larger crowds to violate prohibitory orders.

Meanwhile, political figures weighed in on the case, with All India Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee condemning the detention from Kolkata.

"Stop torturing the boys and girls of Gen Z," said Mamata Banerjee, the former West Bengal Chief Minister, according to The Hindu.

The Hindu reported that Ms. Banerjee described the legal actions against the two men as state-sponsored terrorism, while police sought a further three-day custody extension before the magistrate accepted surety bonds.

Live Law noted that the petitioners are aged 31 and 27 years, adding that the court discussed how the organization shifted its focus from earlier student demonstrations.

Following the latest court order, the magistrate accepted the surety bonds and directed that the two men be freed immediately unless held in another matter.

The Times of India reported that CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke reacted to the release order by sharing a video clip on social media.

It remains unclear whether prosecutors will pursue further legal steps regarding the alleged breach of peace bonds tied to the Jantar Mantar protest.