New Delhi: Cockroach Janata Party activist Abhijeet Dipke has been granted bail in Delhi subject to specific conditions, the Delhi Police confirmed on Saturday. Authorities stated that Dipke was released after he signed a peace bond.

The court’s decision follows legal action initiated by Ratna Singh, head of legal affairs for the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP). Singh challenged the lawfulness of the party founder's arrest before the Special Executive Magistrate (SEM) Court, demanding his immediate release and alleging serious breaches of due process and fundamental rights.

Taking to X, Singh questioned how calling on citizens to take part in a peaceful national demonstration could constitute a crime.

“The SEM Court should release Abhijeet Dipke, as his arrest is unlawful. He merely urged people to unfurl the Tiranga - how can that by itself be a crime?” Singh wrote.

She further raised grave concerns over the circumstances surrounding Dipke's detention, alleging that he was picked up from outside his home, his location was initially withheld, and his legal team was denied access.

“The manner in which he was picked up from right outside his residence, no information about his whereabouts, and the fact that even his lawyers have been unable to meet him raise serious concerns about due process and fundamental rights. How can such an apparent abuse of power be justified in a democracy governed by the rule of law? Delhi Police cannot do unlawful acts under the garb of preventive detention,” she added.

Singh had earlier noted that Dipke was set to be produced before the SEM at the Mandir Marg Police Station around noon on Saturday.

Delhi Police detained Dipke on Friday to prevent him from heading the planned ‘Lehra Do Tiranga’ rally at Connaught Place's Central Park. Prohibitory orders restricting public gatherings in Central Delhi had been enforced under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS).

The detention occurred amid broader protests targeting the Election Commission over alleged irregularities in electoral roll updates. According to police, around 150 demonstrators were detained and multiple FIRs were lodged for breaching prohibitory orders after gatherings formed despite explicit warnings.

In the aftermath, law enforcement booked Dipke under BNSS Sections 126 and 170 in a new preventive action. This stands as a separate preventive proceeding from an October 10 action, during which Dipke was directed to execute a one-year peace bond undertaking.

These demonstrations form part of an ongoing wave of protests by Opposition leaders, INDIA bloc constituents, and student groups voicing opposition to the Election Commission's Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and its broader administration of the electoral process.

ANI