New Delhi, Oct. 18 -- The Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) on Sunday faced another hurdle in securing the release of its leaders, Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka, as their bail hearing was delayed over the non-arrival of the Special Executive Magistrate (SEM), and four sureties were allegedly rejected on vague grounds. Amid the delay, CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke said the party would regroup and decide its next course of action after the two leaders return.

Activist Ratna Singh, who was present at Mandir Marg police station, said she had been waiting since 11 am for the hearing scheduled at noon. However, the Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP), acting as the SEM, had not arrived by 4.42 pm, she alleged.

Singh also questioned the grounds on which four sureties had been rejected, claiming that people booked in connection with protests were being treated as having criminal antecedents. There was no immediate response from the police to the allegations.

"Unfurling the Indian National Flag is not a crime, and the boys should not remain in custody due to procedural delays," Singh wrote on X, raising concerns over the functioning of SEM courts and alleging misuse of power.

Das and Ranka were sent to five days of judicial custody on October 14 after entering Jantar Mantar by scaling its locked gates. The site had been denotified as a designated protest venue. The CJP leaders maintained that they had unfurled the national flag and raised slogans.

On Saturday, the outfit had warned of legal action if the two were not released by Sunday. It said it had consulted senior advocate Kapil Sibal and would pursue accountability against those it accused of deliberately prolonging their detention."The deliberate use of delaying tactics to keep them behind bars cannot go unchallenged," the party said in its post on X.

With the legal battle continuing, Dipke said the CJP would "gather, restrategise, and determine its next steps" once Das and Ranka returned. The party is yet to announce its next course of action.

The CJP has been protesting against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over alleged irregularities in the Election Commission of India's SIR exercise, which it claims threatens voters' rights. The party's next move is expected to be decided after its detained leaders rejoin the group, even as questions over their bail proceedings remain unresolved.

Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.