Ashutosh Ranka and Saurav Das of the CJP were released from Tihar Jail after furnishing personal and surety bonds of Rs 50,000 each and undertaking not to call for protests at Jantar Mantar until the site is de-notified, according to proceedings before a Delhi Special Executive Magistrate.
The two were released on Wednesday after Special Executive Magistrate Ritu Raj, an ACP in Delhi Police, concluded that continued judicial custody was not necessary at this stage. The magistrate said the apprehension of a breach of peace could be addressed through peace bonds and written assurances instead.
In their undertakings, Ranka and Das promised not to breach the peace and reiterated their commitment to public tranquillity, law and order. They specifically agreed not to make calls for protests at Jantar Mantar until the site is de-notified. Both must appear at every hearing, while the sureties furnished for their release will be verified before the next hearing on October 23.
The activists were detained after allegedly attempting to enter the barricaded Jantar Mantar protest site by climbing its gates on October 13. Their action was part of a protest against SIR. The report did not expand the full form of SIR, but said the detention followed preventive proceedings initiated by Parliament Street police over apprehensions that their conduct could disturb public tranquillity.
Ranka and Das were first produced before the magistrate on October 14 and were sent to five days of judicial custody. That custody was extended by two days on October 19. The investigating officer sought a further three days of judicial custody during the latest hearing, citing a continuing apprehension of a breach of peace.
The prosecution, led by counsel Bhairav Dass and Prashant Prakash, argued that statements made by the two activists before the court and the media were contradictory. It also alleged that remarks by a CJP member to the media while the activists were being taken to Tihar Jail on the previous hearing date undermined the authority of the Special Executive Magistrate’s court.
Defence advocates Abhik Chimni and Pranjal Abrol responded with an unconditional verbal apology to the magistrate. They reiterated the activists’ commitment to peace and said any protest would remain within the constitutional framework.
The case also follows an earlier dispute over the activists’ release conditions. The magistrate had rejected their previous sureties, citing identification discrepancies and doubts about whether the sureties could ensure the activists’ presence. The duo later challenged the October 19 order before the Delhi High Court but withdrew the plea after the court advised them to await the outcome of the hearing before the magistrate.
The next hearing is scheduled for October 23, when the sureties are to be verified and the preventive proceedings will continue.
