CJP Leaders Das, Ranka Release After 7-Day Custody, Vow No Jantar Mantar Protest

After seven days in judicial custody, CJP leaders Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka walked out of the Special Executive Magistrate court in New Delhi on Wednesday, swearing never to call for a demonstration at Jantar Mantar, which the government has stripped of its protest status.

The leaders had staged a flag‑raising at the historic site on Oct 13, flouting a peace bond they signed when first booked on Oct 10 for an earlier protest over alleged electoral fraud. The police had sought to extend their detention, but the court, after reviewing the High Court petition, set the release subject to surety bonds.

Delhi's High Court, in its earlier hearing, warned that a breach of bond could trigger a broader unrest, citing past student protests that escalated into arson. It also noted that Das and Ranka, aged 27 and 31, were not typical Gen‑Z agitators, though they had been central figures in the June‑July agitation that forced an education minister’s resignation.

The next hearing, slated for Friday, will determine whether the investigation into the denotification of Jantar Mantar and the alleged irregularities in the voter roll revision continues, while the CJP presses for the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. Meanwhile, protestors in Delhi’s capital streets await the court’s decision, hoping the ruling will restore the site’s public gathering rights.