A Delhi court has extended the judicial custody of CJP leaders Ashutosh Ranka and Saurav Das by two days. The next hearing in the case is scheduled for Wednesday.
Following their detention on October 13 for trespassing at Jantar Mantar while waving the national flag to oppose the authorities’ decision to denotify the area as a designated protest site, Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) leaders Ashutosh Ranka and Saurav Das were sent to judicial custody for five days on October 14. Another campaign leader, Ajinkya Shinde, was released on a personal bond. On Monday, their judicial custody was further extended by two more days after they were produced before a special executive magistrate, where the Delhi Police sought an extension. CJP lawyer Abhik Chimni noted that the court proceedings were preventive in nature and that there was no need to send them to judicial custody. After the extension of their judicial custody, Ratna Singh, a leader of the Cockroach Janta Party, described it as a 'mockery of the justice system'. The CJP had earlier alleged a 'deliberate delay' in their release, accusing the authorities of prolonging their bail proceedings and rejecting bail sureties. This extension raises questions about the nature and purpose of their detention, as well as concerns over freedom of expression and protest in India.
Source:
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