Delhi’s Special Executive Magistrate will hear the bail petitions of Ashutosh Ranka and Saurav Das at 2 pm on Monday, October 19, after the pair were placed in judicial custody on October 14 for breaching the newly denotified protest zone at Jantar Mantar.
Both co‑convenors entered the former protest site by scaling a locked gate, an action they say was aimed at flying the national flag in a space that had been barred for public demonstrations.
Earlier this week, the court dismissed four sureties submitted by the CJP, citing vague reasons that the party’s legal head, Ratna Singh, called “unsubstantiated.” She posted on X that the four sureties had been turned down while the party had been denied a simple hearing.
Singh also complained of a slew of delays, noting that the Assistant Commissioner of Police had not arrived at the Mandir Marg station until 4:42 pm and that her team had been stuck waiting since 11 am.
The magistrate’s decision to reject the sureties and the subsequent filing of a non‑cognisable report against unidentified individuals have prompted the CJP to demand a transparent process, while police officials say they will defend the court’s earlier rulings. The hearing at 2 pm will decide whether bail is granted and whether the surety dispute should be reopened.