Guwahati: A Delhi court has ordered the release of Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) leaders Abhijit Dipke, Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka, subject to a condition that they maintain peace for one year, the party’s legal affairs head, Ratna Singh, said.
The three leaders had been placed under preventive arrest and produced before the Court of Special Executive Magistrate at the Delhi Cantonment Police Station in the South West District.
They were detained by Delhi Police from their flight on Saturday, shortly after landing in the national capital to participate in a protest against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
“All three of them have been released. They can leave from here now,” their counsel, advocate Soutik Banerjee, said.
The police invoked Sections 126 and 170 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) against the three leaders.
Section 126 empowers an Executive Magistrate to require a person considered likely to breach the peace or disturb public tranquillity to show cause why they should not be directed to execute a bond to maintain peace for a period of up to one year. The provision is preventive in nature.
Section 170 allows police to arrest a person without a warrant if they have reason to believe that the person is planning to commit a cognisable offence that cannot otherwise be prevented. Detention under this provision is generally limited to 24 hours unless further custody is authorised under another applicable law.
According to Delhi Police, nearly 2,500 protesters were detained across the capital on Saturday. This was in addition to around 1,000 people reportedly taken into preventive custody during overnight operations ahead of the protest.
The detentions came as demonstrators sought to protest against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
The Supreme Court was scheduled to hold a special sitting to hear a petition challenging the alleged indiscriminate detention of political leaders, former chief ministers, students, young people, journalists, lawyers and others by Delhi Police. The petition raises concerns over the legality of the detentions and their implications for democratic dissent.
The apex court was also scheduled to hear a contempt petition challenging restrictions on public transport, railway services and Metro operations in central Delhi, which the petitioners alleged were intended to prevent protesters from reaching the capital.
Meanwhile, a Delhi court on Friday dismissed a plea filed by CJP legal affairs head Ratna Singh seeking the registration of a first information report (FIR) against police personnel over her alleged illegal detention. She had also sought her immediate release.