Delhi Police Register Case Over Threat To Magistrate During CJP Leaders' Bail Hearing; Party Alleges Delay

On October 18, the Delhi Police registered a non-cognisable report (NCR) against unidentified individuals following allegations of a death threat made to a Special Executive Magistrate (SEM) during a bail hearing for Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka, co-convenors of the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP). The incident occurred at Mandir Marg police station in New Delhi.

The CJP accused the authorities of intentionally delaying the duo's release from judicial custody, claiming that the surety documents submitted by their sureties were rejected on vague grounds. The party's legal head, Ratna Singh, alleged that the hearing, which was scheduled to begin around noon, was delayed for several hours as the SEM did not arrive at the courtroom until around 5 pm.

Meanwhile, the police denied deliberately delaying the proceedings, stating that due process had to be followed and the alleged threat needed to be addressed. A senior police officer explained that the surety bonds submitted by the party leaders' sureties had procedural issues, and thus could not be accepted until the necessary checks were completed.

The CJP has accused the police of deliberately prolonging the detention of Das and Ranka, and the dispute over the alleged threat and the delayed proceedings has added another layer to the ongoing legal battle over their detention. The two leaders had been remanded to five days of judicial custody on October 14 for allegedly entering Jantar Mantar, a protest site that had been denotified, and unfurling the national flag.

They had violated the conditions of an earlier peace bond, which cited alleged violations of lawful directions and concerns over maintaining public order.