Delhi court extends custody of CJP leaders Ranka and Das

A Delhi court has extended the judicial custody of Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) leaders Ashutosh Ranka and Saurav Das by two days. The leaders were originally detained on October 13 after allegedly trespassing into Jantar Mantar, a site that had recently been removed from the list of approved protest venues.

Following the extension of their detention, the Delhi Police transferred the investigation of the trespassing case to the Crime Branch. The charges involve disobedience to public orders, criminal conspiracy, and obstructing public servants.

The CJP has accused authorities of using procedural delays and rejecting sureties on “vague grounds” to prolong the illegal detention of their leaders. The party maintains that the protests, which demand the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over controversial voter list revisions, have been peaceful. The detention follows a period of near-daily protests in the capital led by the CJP and various student organizations.