Delhi Police Summons CJP Leaders Das and Ranka After Jail Release
The Delhi Police Crime Branch has summoned Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) leaders Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka for questioning in two cases, a day after they were released from Tihar Jail.
The Crime Branch issued the notices after the two were freed on Wednesday, October 21, asking them to appear at its Rajouri Garden office at noon on Thursday. The Hindu reported that a Mr. Shinde has also been summoned. The cases, over alleged trespass and disobedience of a government order, were moved from local police stations to the Crime Branch.
Released on Bonds
A Special Executive Magistrate (SEM) declined a police request to keep the two in judicial custody for three more days, DW reported. The court then took their personal and surety bonds and placed on record their written promises to keep the peace.
SEM Ritu Raj directed Das and Ranka to furnish bonds of Rs 50,000 each until the inquiry ends, to appear on every hearing date and to abide by the conditions of their bonds, The Times of India reported. In their undertakings, the two promised not to disturb public tranquillity and not to call for protests at Jantar Mantar "till such a time that it is denotified in accordance with law". They said any future protests would stay within the constitutional framework.
In seeking the extension, police had cited a possible breach of peace and law and order. They also pointed to what they described as differences between the leaders' statements in court and their later remarks to the media.
The matter will be heard again on October 23 at 3 pm, and the court has directed both leaders and their sureties to be present. The investigating officer must file a report verifying the sureties at that hearing, according to The New Indian Express and LiveLaw.
The Jantar Mantar Protest
The two were detained over an October 13 protest at Jantar Mantar, which Delhi Police had denotified as a protest site earlier in October. Police allege that they entered the area through private premises and broke conditions on maintaining peace. They were booked for trespass after entering the site and raising the Indian flag, DW reported.
The party's recent protests have called on Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar to resign, alleging irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls that led to voters' names being deleted. Earlier CJP-led protests culminated in the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, according to DW.