Delhi Magistrate Orders Release of CJP Leaders

A Delhi Special Executive Magistrate ordered the release of Cockroach Janata Party leaders Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka on October 21, after their custody period ended and sureties were submitted. The two had been held following a protest at Jantar Mantar on October 14. The release order followed their withdrawal of a petition before the Delhi High Court challenging the extension of their custody. Das and Ranka were produced before the magistrate as their two-day custody extension, ordered on October 19, expired. They had initially been remanded to five days in custody on October 14. The magistrate accepted sureties during the October 21 proceedings and ordered their release. A report on Das’s individual release order said his personal bond was accepted and his release from Tihar Jail was conditional on his not being required in another case; the available reporting did not specify whether the same condition applied to Ranka. The Delhi High Court permitted the pair to withdraw their challenge to the custody extension without expressing an opinion on its merits. The court had directed them to await the magistrate’s decision and pursue an appropriate legal remedy if their...