Delhi Police has sought a three-day extension of judicial custody for Cockroach Janta Party leaders Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka in connection with their alleged entry into the denotified protest site at Jantar Mantar and alleged violations of peace bonds, according to a report by The Hindu citing police sources.
The two leaders were produced before a special executive magistrate in Delhi on October 21, after their earlier custody period was due to expire. They had initially been remanded to five days of judicial custody on October 14, following their detention for allegedly entering Jantar Mantar despite heavy barricading and a strong security presence.
Their custody had already been extended by two days on October 19, according to the report. The latest request by Delhi Police sought to keep them in custody for another three days. The report does not provide the police’s detailed grounds for seeking the additional period.
The case concerns the administration of Jantar Mantar, a designated protest location that has been described in the report as denotified. The detention of the leaders has therefore brought together two issues of public administration in the capital: the enforcement of restrictions at a heavily secured public site and the legal process governing custody after alleged violations of those restrictions.
Delhi Police has also transferred a second case involving Das and Ranka to its Crime Branch, according to the report. The nature of the second case and the reasons for transferring it were not detailed in the supplied material.
The continued detention has drawn criticism from West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and Odisha leader Naveen Patnaik, who have called for the two leaders to be released, the report said. Their statements represent political reactions to the custody proceedings and do not establish the legal outcome of the case.
Earlier on October 21, the Delhi High Court declined to interfere with the judicial custody of Das and Ranka. The High Court asked them to await the outcome of the hearing before the special executive magistrate and to approach the appellate court if their grievance continued, according to The Hindu.
The supplied report also carries a reference to a separate update stating that the special executive magistrate ordered the release of the two leaders. However, the report itself does not clearly reconcile that outcome with the police request for a three-day extension or explain whether the release order followed the hearing described in the story. The final custody status and the operative court directions therefore require confirmation from the court record or an updated official statement.
