India, Oct. 20 -- The continued detention of Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) leaders Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka in Tihar jail has raised questions about the legal consequences of breaching a peace bond, the powers of executive magistrates and the constitutional limits on preventive detention.

The proceedings before the special executive magistrate (SEM) concern only the alleged violation of a peace bond the two leaders signed on October 10, and not the criminal cases registered over the October 13 Jantar Mantar incident.

The two leaders signed the bonds, undertaking to maintain peace for one year, after they were taken into preventive detention at Delhi airport ahead of a CJP protest. They were released after furnishing bonds of Rs.50,00...