Delhi court extends judicial custody of CJP leaders Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka by two days

Synopsis: A Special Executive Magistrate court in Delhi on Monday extended the judicial custody of Cockroach Janta Party leaders Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka by two days, after their initial five-day remand ended. The Delhi Police had sought an extension, but the court’s order has not been made public and the basis for the decision remains unclear. CJP’s head of legal affairs, Ratna Singh termed the order “absurd”.

A Special Executive Magistrate (SEM) court on Monday, 19 October, extended the judicial custody of Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) leaders Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka by two days, after their initial five-day remand ended.

The Delhi Police had earlier sought an extension of their custody. The court’s order has not yet been made public, and the basis for the extension remains unclear.

Das and Ranka were remanded to five days’ judicial custody on 14 October, after they were detained while attempting to “reclaim” Jantar Mantar. Their detention came a day after the Delhi Police de-notified the central Delhi venue as a designated site for protests and demonstrations.

The two were due to be produced before a new Special Executive Magistrate at 2 pm on Monday, but proceedings did not begin until around 5.30 pm, according to CJP’s head of legal affairs, Ratna Singh.