A petition seeking the release of three leaders detained before a planned protest at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar was filed in the Supreme Court and withdrawn within hours, while thousands of supporters remained affected by a large security operation across central Delhi, according to Live Hindustan – NCR.
Abhijeet Dipke, chief of the Cockroach Janata Party, co-convener Saurabh Das and party leader Ashutosh Ranka were detained at Indira Gandhi International Airport on Saturday morning after arriving from Mumbai. The report said police took them into custody before they could leave the airport.
Gaurav Bhati, who is associated with the party, approached the Supreme Court seeking habeas corpus relief and the release of the three leaders. The petition also sought the identification of all detained people and details of the circumstances and legal grounds in each case. Bhati later requested permission to withdraw the petition, only a few hours after filing it. The reason for the withdrawal was not clear from the report.
Bhati said he had filed the petition in his personal capacity and not on behalf of the party. The report did not provide a court order recording the withdrawal or clarify whether the Supreme Court had passed any direction on the petition.
The detentions followed a planned demonstration at Jantar Mantar seeking the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. According to the report, more than 7,000 people, including party supporters, four former chief ministers and YouTuber Dhruv Rathee, were detained as authorities moved to prevent the gathering from reaching the designated protest site.
Jantar Mantar remained largely empty during the day, while multiple barricades and a major security deployment were put in place across Lutyens’ Delhi. The report said more than 30,000 security personnel were deployed in the area. Thousands of detained supporters were released by the evening, but the three party leaders remained in custody at the time of publication.
The episode also affected movement around the capital. A separate contempt petition concerning restrictions imposed on trains, the metro and other transport services was scheduled for hearing in the Supreme Court on Sunday. The report did not specify the exact routes, services or duration of the restrictions.
The party has announced that it will continue its agitation on Sunday and remains committed to going to Jantar Mantar. The next developments will depend on the Delhi Police’s response to the proposed gathering, the status of the three leaders and proceedings connected with the transport restrictions.
