Delhi Court Denies Bail to CJP Leaders, Extends Judicial Custody

The Special Executive Magistrate (SEM) court at the Mandir Marg Police Station in Delhi on Monday, October 19, extended the judicial custody of CJP leaders Ashutosh Ranka and Saurav Das by two days, prompting a sharp reaction from the outfit and its lawyer, who said they would pursue the matter legally. As the CJP leaders were being taken away, Das described the situation as a “state of emergency”. Speaking from inside the police van before being whisked back to the Tihar Jail, Das said, “We are in an emergency. There is no justice…just look at the ground they’ve taken.” Their bail pleas were denied, and the matter will likely be decided on Tuesday now. Ranka and Das were produced at the SEM court as their five-day judicial custody had come to an end. Monday’s development comes amid CJP’s allegations that the bail proceedings in the case were deliberately delayed to prevent the release of its two leaders who had been in a five-day judicial custody after they were arrested for entering Jantar Mantar during protests against the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. Reacting to the day’s development, Advocate Abhik Chimni said, “On the last date of hearing, the court stated that it did not find the sureties legitimate enough to be accepted. Today, we produced fresh sureties and brought them to court.” He added that the State filed a fresh application in which “they sought a further five to seven days of judicial custody. The reasons they gave were absolutely shocking to us.” “Everyone must remember that there is currently no FIR against my clients in connection with this issue. This concerns preventive custody. They have been detained out of fear that they might go and protest. There is no FIR, no pending case against them in this matter, and no investigation for which they need to be questioned…I cannot remember the last time people were kept in preventive custody under such circumstances. We will pursue the matter legally…” Upset at the rejection of sureties, CJP legal head Ratna Singh said, “I think SEM (Special Executive Magistrate) courts should be abolished because the system is compromised… Advocates have pointed out that the verification process for a surety cannot be a valid ground for remanding someone to judicial custody.” Questioning the court, she said, “There is no apprehension, no threat, and there was no call to action from our side, yet they were still sent to two days of judicial custody. The authorities show no regard for personal liberty or an individual’s past record; they simply seek an excuse, and we have just witnessed the kind of excuse they have offered today.” She said it felt like the system wanted to crush them. “The youth of this country is watching. They see how those in power are misusing the law to suppress voices, stifle these young people and prevent them from coming together to raise their concerns… the authorities fail to realise that all of this is only making these individuals stronger and more powerful. They will eventually push back, and the government will be forced to provide an answer.” On Sunday, the SEM, hearing their bail matter, claimed that unknown persons were threatening him, following which the police registered a non-cognisable report. In a post on X, CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke had alleged, “The state is deliberately prolonging Ashu and Saurav’s illegal arrest by using every dirty trick in the book to delay court proceedings and prevent their release. “They have no legal grounds to keep them behind bars, so they are resorting to delaying tactics to keep them there.” The CJP also alleged that bail sureties for the release of its leaders had been rejected on “vague” grounds.