The scheduled noon bail hearing for Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) leaders Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka didn't start until 5:00 pm on Sunday. Ratna Singh, the party’s legal head, sat at the Mandir Marg police station since 11:00 am, watching the clock. She claimed the Special Executive Magistrate (SEM) failed to arrive at the scheduled time, effectively stalling the proceedings.
Singh accused authorities of rejecting four sureties on "vague" grounds. "They have rejected 4 sureties till now on vague reasons," she posted on X. She argued the police labeled protesters with FIRs against them as having criminal antecedents, a tactic she described as arbitrary. The SEM finally entered the courtroom at 5:00 pm but refused to hear the case on its merits.
Das and Ranka entered Jantar Mantar on October 14 by scaling locked gates after the site was denotified as a designated protest area. They claim they merely unfurled the national flag and raised slogans. The CJP has been protesting against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, alleging the exercise threatens voters' rights.
CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke accused the state of using delaying tactics to keep the leaders behind bars. "They have no legal grounds to keep them behind bars," Dipke alleged. Police did not respond to the allegations. The next judicial custody hearing is expected to determine if the SEM will finally address the bail application on its merits.