CJP leaders sent to 5-day judicial custody, to be lodged in Tihar Jail

Ashutosh Ranka, Ajinkya Shinde and Saurav Das were detained early Tuesday for allegedly breaching barricades to enter Jantar Mantar

Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) leaders Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka were sent to five-day judicial custody and lodged in Tihar Jail on Wednesday for allegedly violating their peace bonds and trespassing into Jantar Mantar, which was denotified as a protest area, reported PTI.  

Meanwhile, bail bond formalities for their associate Ajinkya Shinde were being finalised. The three were produced before the Executive Magistrate again on Wednesday morning.

The three were detained early Tuesday after allegedly breaching barricades to enter the protest site, which was recently denotified as a designated venue for demonstrations. They also raised slogans demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar.

 

 

The charges include trespassing, violation of prohibitory orders, breach of a peace bond and obstructing a public servant from discharging official duties.

 

CJP legal head Ratna Singh said in a post on X that Das, Ranka and Shinde were brought to Parliament Street Police Station at 3 am in a private van and were not allowed to meet their lawyers until late at night. She added that the three could face judicial custody in Tihar Jail. In a subsequent post, Singh said the three were likely to be produced before the SEM at Mandir Marg Police Station within an hour, adding that the 24-hour detention period was nearing its end.

 

CJP founder Abhijit Dipke also shared an image on X showing Das, Ranka and Shinde inside Parliament Street Police Station, saying their spirits remained high despite their preventive detention.

 

Ranka and Das had reportedly signed a bond to maintain peace for a year after being detained during an earlier protest in the national capital on October 10.

 

INDIA bloc vows to fight ‘vote chori’, reclaim Jantar Mantar

 

Meanwhile, INDIA bloc leaders on Tuesday vowed to fight unitedly for the restoration of democracy and bring to justice those responsible for alleged “vote chori”, PTI reported.

 

Opposition leaders and members of civil society gathered at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's residence to discuss their strategy against CEC Gyanesh Kumar and the alleged electoral irregularities. The denotification of Jantar Mantar as a designated protest venue was also on the agenda, with Gandhi saying the Opposition would challenge the decision.

 

Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, Congress Parliamentary Party Chairperson Sonia Gandhi, Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, RJD leaders Tejashwi Yadav and Manoj Jha, AISA chief Neha Bora, and TMC leader Sagarika Ghose, were among the attendees. 

 

Addressing the media after the meeting, INDIA bloc MPs pledged to continue their united campaign against “vote chori”. Kharge said senior opposition leaders had discussed the prevailing political situation and strategies to take forward the campaign seeking the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav alleged that the Chief Election Commissioner had attempted to “crush” democracy at the behest of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and the BJP. Rahul Gandhi maintained that political and public resistance would continue and ultimately triumph, irrespective of the role played by institutions.

 

Meanwhile, during the meeting INDIA bloc leaders indicated that the ongoing festive season and sustainability concerns would require them to scale back daily protests and marches in the national capital, limiting them to occasional demonstrations, according to Economic Times report. The report said regular joint street marches in Delhi would remain on hold until at least the third week of October due to the Navratri and Durga Puja festivities, followed by Diwali, Dussehra and Chhath in November. The Congress, however, will go ahead with its scheduled rally in Delhi on November 1.