The Delhi Police has transferred the Jantar Mantar trespassing case against CJP co-conveners Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka to its Crime Branch for further investigation, according to a report by Jagran – New Delhi. The case concerns allegations that the two leaders entered the protest site by climbing over a locked gate without permission.
The transfer places the investigation with the Crime Branch after the police registered a case linked to the alleged violation of restrictions at Jantar Mantar. The police have alleged that Das and Ranka entered the premises despite the gate being closed. The report did not provide details of the specific legal sections under which the case was registered.
Jantar Mantar had earlier been removed from the list of locations designated for protests, according to the report. The change is central to the case because access to the site and its use for demonstrations are subject to permissions and administrative restrictions. The report did not specify when the location was removed from the designated list or identify the order through which the change was made.
The transfer was described as a step intended to enable a detailed investigation. No independent statement from the Crime Branch was included in the report, and the supplied material does not indicate whether the agency has announced a new investigation schedule or identified additional allegations against the two conveners.
Das and Ranka were also sent to judicial custody for two more days by a special executive magistrate, the report said. They had initially been sent to custody for five days over allegations of violating restrictions. The extension means that the two leaders remained in custody while the police investigation was transferred to the Crime Branch.
The case has also triggered allegations from CJP chief Abhijit Deepke and other party members that the bail process was deliberately delayed to prevent the two leaders from being released. The report presented this as an allegation by the party and did not include a response from the police or the court on the claim.
The development highlights the administrative role played by police authorities in controlling access to public protest sites in Delhi. It also raises questions about how restrictions on designated demonstration locations are communicated and enforced, although the material supplied does not establish the legal basis for removing Jantar Mantar from the list or the full sequence of events leading to the alleged entry.
The immediate next steps are the Crime Branch investigation and the expiry of the additional two-day judicial custody period. Further details will depend on the investigating agency’s findings and subsequent court or magistrate proceedings.
