The Delhi High Court is set to hear a petition challenging the continued judicial custody of Cockroach Janata Party leaders Sourav Das and Ashutosh Ranka in Tihar Jail. The duo filed a challenge against an October 19 order after a magistrate extended their detention through October 21 and rejected their surety offers.
Investigating officers and police maintain that the political figures deliberately violated a signed peace bond, which legally prohibited them from participating in unauthorized demonstrations for a full year. Authorities alleged that the leaders trespassed onto the de-notified protest grounds at Jantar Mantar, broke through police barricades, and actively obstructed public servants from executing their official duties.
Conversely, the petitioners argue that citizens retain a fundamental democratic right to conduct peaceful protests, raising sharp questions regarding the necessity of their ongoing incarceration. While party founder Abhijit Dipke referred to Das and Ranka as the primary decision-makers and announced a temporary halt to all demonstrations until Diwali, various opposition figures have criticized the administration for arbitrarily arresting student organizers and suppressing political dissent.