New Delhi: The Delhi High Court on Wednesday questioned Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) leaders Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka over their alleged breach of peace bonds after they attempted to enter the denotified protest site at Jantar Mantar, observing that barricades were put in place for a reason.
Justice Subramonium Prasad made the remarks while hearing a petition challenging a Special Executive Magistrate’s order extending the leaders’ judicial custody. The court questioned their decision to stage a protest at the site without permission despite having furnished peace bonds earlier.
“Barricade is there for a purpose,” the court observed, warning that breaking barricades could encourage others to follow and potentially lead to a larger law-and-order problem.
The judge also referred to instances in other countries where student protests had escalated into arson and violence, cautioning that demonstrations could take an unpredictable turn if crowds grew beyond the organisers’ control.
Questioning the procedure followed after the leaders allegedly violated their bonds, the court noted that the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) provides a mechanism for dealing with breaches of such bonds. It asked why the prescribed procedure had not been followed, including the possibility of forfeiting sureties, instead of issuing fresh notices.
The court also questioned why the leaders had not approached the authorities to seek permission for their proposed demonstration. It asked whether the magistrate’s order could be challenged through a revision petition and suggested that the petitioners consider the appropriate legal remedy before pursuing their challenge further.
During the hearing, the judge sought details about the leaders’ ages and their association, questioning the nature and purpose of the organisation in the context of concerns over public peace and tranquillity.
Das and Ranka had earlier furnished peace bonds of Rs 50,000 each after being detained on October 10. Jantar Mantar was subsequently denotified as an authorised protest site on October 11.
The two leaders were detained again after allegedly entering the restricted area on October 13 to stage a demonstration. They were later remanded to judicial custody, which was extended by the Special Executive Magistrate on October 19.
The leaders challenged the extension before the High Court, arguing that their continued detention was unlawful and questioning the rejection of their sureties.
The hearing comes amid a broader dispute over the denotification of Jantar Mantar as a designated protest venue, a decision that has also been challenged separately before the courts.
