CJP's Saurav Das, Ashutosh Ranka Bail Hearing Put Off After Magistrate Cites Threat To Life

The bail hearing of Cockroach Janta Party functionaries Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka was put off on Sunday after the special executive magistrate did not arrive at the scheduled time and later recused himself, citing a threat to his life. Delhi Police also registered a case over the alleged threat.

Das and Ranka had been sent to five days of judicial custody on Oct 14.

Police sources said the special executive magistrate, or SEM, had been under pressure to release the two without delay.

Custody And Protest

The case stems from events at Jantar Mantar.

Das and Ranka were sent to five days of judicial custody on Oct 14 after they entered Jantar Mantar by breaching barricades. The site had been denotified as a designated protest site.

That background matters because the custody order is the immediate basis for the bail plea.

Delay Allegations

CJP alleged the bail process was delayed.

The party's legal head Ratna Singh said four sureties were rejected on "vague grounds". She also posted on X that she had been at the police station since 11am for the hearing, which was fixed for noon.

Singh wrote that the assistant commissioner of police, who also functions as the SEM, arrived at about 5.30pm. CJP used that timeline to question the handling of the hearing before the magistrate later recused himself.

Threat Probe Details

The legal dispute then shifted to the alleged threat.

Advocate Abhist Hela said no specific statutory provision was cited for rescheduling the hearing and that the decision rested on concerns including the safety of judicial officers. CJP, meanwhile, suggested that police examine call detail records to see if the SEM's number had been circulated from a party member's device. The magistrate declined.

Police linked the recusal to pressure on the magistrate. “Someone tried to influence him, and he (SEM) recused himself from the hearing today. How can he hear the case under such threatening circumstances?” a police officer said.

Delhi Police have registered a case under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita for alleged criminal intimidation and threatening a public servant. Police sources said the SEM had been pressured to grant the release of Das and Ranka without delay.