New Delhi: Former Odisha Chief Minister and Biju Janata Dal (BJD) chief Naveen Patnaik on Tuesday voiced strong concern over the prolonged judicial custody of Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) co-convenors Saurav Das and Ashutosh, calling for their immediate release and an urgent review of their detention.
Naveen’s remarks came as legal representatives for the CJP leaders approached the Delhi High Court to challenge the extension of their preventive judicial custody.
Taking to social media platform X, the former CM emphasised that hoisting the National Flag, even in a restricted or prohibited area, should not attract such harsh and extended penal consequences. He cautioned that excessive executive and judicial measures risk eroding public trust among the country’s youth.
“The judicial custody of Ashutosh Ranka and Saurav Das must be urgently reviewed and they must be released immediately. Hoisting the National Flag, even in a prohibited area, should not warrant such prolonged detention. The judiciary and the executive must rise to the occasion to ensure that the youth of this country do not lose faith in the rule of law and constitutional rights,” he posted on X.
Reacting to the post, CJP’s founder and national convenor Abhijeet Dipke thanked the former CM for his support.
Earlier in the day, Former West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee issued a statement accusing central authorities of “state-sponsored terrorism” and “police-sponsored atrocities.” In a post on X, she described the alleged treatment of young protesters as a threat to democracy, claimed atrocities had reached unprecedented levels across the country from Kolkata to Delhi to Mumbai, and drew parallels with India’s freedom struggle. She urged the government to stop torturing Gen Z youth and release Das and Ranka if it believed in democracy.
The CJP has approached the Delhi High Court seeking an urgent night hearing against the two-day extension of their judicial custody ordered a day earlier by a Special Executive Magistrate. Their counsel has sought an early listing, arguing that the High Court remains closed this week for the Dussehra vacation and that the leaders’ personal liberty should not be curtailed.
The legal controversy traces back to October 10, when Das and Ranka were detained at an airport ahead of planned protests, then released the same day after furnishing ₹50,000 peace bonds under Sections 126 and 170 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, undertaking to maintain peace for a year. Tensions escalated on October 13 when the duo, along with other CJP activists, allegedly climbed over a locked gate to enter Jantar Mantar, a location recently de-notified as an official protest site, where they displayed the national flag and raised slogans against the Election Commission. Following the incident, Executive Magistrate Mahesh Kumar Meena remanded them to five days of judicial custody on October 14.
When the matter came up for further proceedings on October 19, SEM Ritu Raj extended their judicial custody by two days under Section 135(3) BNSS, observing that thy had deliberately breached their peace bonds and endangered public tranquility. The magistrate held that police material pointed to a habitual pattern of convening demonstrations at restricted locations, adding that assurances against repeat behaviour lacked credibility. Furthermore, the court rejected the sureties offered for their release, citing discrepancies between photographs on the bond documents and the sureties’ Aadhaar cards, along with unsatisfactory responses during questioning.
On October 18, the magistrate presiding over the bail matter also reported receiving threats from unidentified individuals, prompting the police to file a non-cognisable report.
In their petition before the High Court, Das and Ranka argued that the Special Executive Magistrate arbitrarily exercised power under Section 135(3) BNSS by citing default in executing bonds. The plea contends this finding was factually incorrect because valid sureties equipped with duly executed bonds and Fixed Deposit Receipts (FDRs) were present on October 19, but were denied an opportunity to present their papers. The petition maintains that the magistrate’s order relied uncritically on the Investigating Officer’s application, adding that staging a demonstration at a de-notified location is a regulatory matter rather than a threat to public order.
The detention has triggered widespread political reactions. Former West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee issued a statement on Tuesday accusing central authorities of “state-sponsored terrorism” and “police-sponsored atrocities.” In a post on X, she described the alleged treatment of young protesters as a threat to democracy, claimed atrocities had reached unprecedented levels across the country from Kolkata to Delhi to Mumbai, and drew parallels with India’s freedom struggle. She urged the government to stop torturing Gen Z youth and release Das and Ranka if it believed in democracy. The CJP has thanked her for the support.
Das and Ranka are scheduled to be produced before the Special Executive Magistrate again on Wednesday, October 21.