Merely hours after securing release from Delhi’s Tihar Jail, Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) co-convenors Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka found themselves facing immediate procedural escalation as the Delhi Police Crime Branch served fresh summons directing them to join an ongoing criminal investigation. The summons was issued on Thursday morning, requiring both leaders to report to the specialized agency’s Rajouri Garden facility for structured interrogation. The rapid turn of events comes in the wake of a Special Executive Magistrate (SEM) court granting their release on personal and surety bonds of ₹50,000 each after a week spent in judicial custody, rejecting the police’s plea for extended detention.

The Background: High-Voltage Jantar Mantar Standoff

The ongoing probe traces back to a high-voltage demonstration organized by CJP members at central Delhi’s Jantar Mantar on October 13. The political outfit had called for demonstrations demanding the immediate resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, alleging severe irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and the improper deletion of registered voters’ names. Authorities had previously denotified Jantar Mantar as a designated protest zone, restricting unauthorized assemblies. According to police accounts, the group bypassed security barricades and accessed the restricted site by climbing over a locked gate through private commercial premises to unfurl the national flag, prompting a swift intervention by deployed law enforcement personnel.

Two FIRs Transferred to Crime Branch

Following the standoff at the protest site, Delhi Police registered two separate criminal cases under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). The first FIR, filed at Connaught Place police station, details charges including house-trespass, criminal conspiracy, and intentional disobedience of lawful orders promulgated by a public servant. The second FIR, lodged at Parliament Street police station, cites allegations of obstructing and assaulting public servants while discharging official duties and causing physical hurt to police personnel. Recognizing the sensitivity and multi-jurisdictional implications of the clash, senior Delhi Police leadership formally transferred both FIRs to the specialized Crime Branch on October 20 for consolidated forensic and technical investigation.

Court Undertakings, Bail Conditions, and Legal Scrutiny

During Wednesday’s release hearing before the SEM court, Delhi Police argued vigorously for an additional three-day extension of judicial remand, citing persistent apprehensions regarding public order, breach of peace, and conflicting statements given by the leaders. However, the magistrate ruled that further incarceration was unwarranted after legal counsel representing Das and Ranka tendered an unconditional apology over the conduct highlighted by the prosecution and submitted written undertakings. Under these undertakings, the leaders explicitly pledged not to organize demonstrations at Jantar Mantar while it remains denotified and promised to restrict future political activity within constitutional parameters. The court has scheduled the matter for October 23 to review formal surety verification reports, where both leaders and their sureties must remain personally present.

Focus of Crime Branch Questioning and Next Steps

As Crime Branch officers begin examining the seized evidence, interrogators are focused on establishing the logistics behind the unauthorized entry, identifying key associates who coordinated the gathering, and reviewing video footage recorded around the barricades. Digital records, social media broadcasts, and security camera footage along the Connaught Place and Parliament Street periphery are being synchronized with official police logs. While the summons mandates Das and Ranka’s participation in the investigation, defense representatives maintain that their peaceful political expression has been disproportionately criminalized, setting the stage for continued legal confrontations across Delhi courts in the coming days.