The Delhi Police is likely to seek another extension of the judicial custody of Citizens for Justice and Peace (CJP) leaders Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka after the Delhi High Court noted that the two had allegedly breached a peace bond. Das and Ranka are due to be produced before the Special Executive Magistrate court at Mandir Marg police station around 3 pm on Wednesday.
The two leaders have spent seven days in Tihar Jail. A source in the Delhi Police told The Indian Express that the force was considering seeking a further extension because Das and Ranka allegedly issued calls for protests despite submitting bonds and agreeing not to organise such protests for one year.
The reported police move follows observations by the Delhi High Court regarding the alleged breach of the peace bond. The court’s observations and the police’s expected request form the immediate basis for the next custody hearing. The report does not state that the Special Executive Magistrate has already approved any extension.
Das and Ranka were arrested on October 14 for allegedly breaching security and entering the Jantar Mantar area during protests against the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls. Jantar Mantar is one of Delhi’s designated locations for public demonstrations, making the case part of the wider administrative process through which authorities regulate protest activity and public order in the capital.
Under the peace-bond arrangement described in the report, the two had agreed not to hold such protests for a period of one year. The police is expected to rely on the alleged protest calls and the High Court’s observations when presenting its request before the executive magistrate.
The next immediate step is the production of Das and Ranka before the Special Executive Magistrate court at Mandir Marg police station. The court will determine whether their custody is extended; the supplied report does not provide the outcome of that hearing.
