A week after their detention over a protest at Delhi's Jantar Mantar, Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) leaders Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka received a release order from a Special Executive Magistrate (SEM) on Wednesday, October 21, as their judicial custody was due to expire.

The two leaders were produced before the magistrate during the proceedings, where their sureties were submitted. They had initially been remanded to five days of judicial custody, which was extended by another two days on October 19.

Das and Ranka have been protesting against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, demanding his resignation over alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and the deletion of voters' names.

The release order came hours after the two withdrew their petition before the Delhi High Court challenging the extension of their custody. During the hearing, Justice Subramonium Prasad questioned their decision to approach the High Court without first exhausting alternative legal remedies and suggested that they wait for the magistrate's decision.

‘Would it not be better for you to withdraw this, see what happens at 2 PM and then follow the course of law,’ the judge said.

Their lawyer, Abhik Chimni, argued that the October 19 order did not adequately establish the immediate threat posed by the two leaders. He also questioned the repeated rejection of their sureties and sought their release on personal bonds.

The High Court pointed to remedies available under the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) and permitted the petition to be withdrawn without expressing an opinion on its merits.

How the CJP leaders were detained

Delhi police first detained Das and Ranka at Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport on October 10, ahead of planned protests against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.

Authorities initiated proceedings against them under Sections 126 and 170 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita. They were released the same day after furnishing peace bonds of Rs 50,000.

However, the two were apprehended again on October 14 after allegedly entering Jantar Mantar during their Tiranga march and violating the conditions of their peace bonds. The protest site had been denotified for demonstrations.

In the October 19 order extending their custody, SEM Ritu Raj said the two had deliberately breached their bonds.

The magistrate also sought fresh sureties after identifying discrepancies in the documents submitted and finding their responses during the inquiry unsatisfactory.

The release order on Wednesday marks the latest development in the case, which stems from the CJP leaders' protests over the electoral roll revision process.