Janata Party Leaders Arrested for Protest Violations in Delhi

Three Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) leaders, Ashutosh Ranka, Saurav Das and Ajinkya Shinde, were placed under preventive arrest on Tuesday after allegedly entering the Jantar Mantar protest area without permission and raising slogans demanding Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation. Delhi Police is scheduled to present the three before the Special Executive Magistrate Court at Mandir Marg on Wednesday. They face allegations of trespassing, breaching bond conditions and obstructing a public servant from performing official duties. The arrests followed the leaders’ alleged crossing of police barricades to enter the protest site. They had earlier been released after furnishing a bond of Rs 50,000 and promising to avoid involvement in any breach-of-peace cases for one year. The latest action also involves an alleged violation of those conditions, with the three being treated as repeat offenders. Preventive detention allows police to take someone into custody without a warrant when necessary to prevent a cognisable offence or a breach of peace. The three cannot be held in police custody for more than 24 hours without an order from a magistrate. CJP lawyer Ratna Singh said the leaders were brought to Parliament Street police station in a private van at 3 am and were not allowed to meet their lawyers until late at night. In a post on X, she said they could face judicial custody at Tihar Jail, adding that their morale remained high despite what she described as unlawful treatment.