K Annamalai backed the questions raised by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) over alleged discrepancies in the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls.
The former Tamil Nadu BJP chief criticised Delhi Police, saying arrests would only strengthen CJP leaders and calling the police action a “real disservice”.
A Delhi magistrate court extended the judicial custody of CJP leaders Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka by two days in the Jantar Mantar trespassing case.
K Annamalai has backed the questions raised by the Cockroach Janta Party even as two of its leaders remain in custody in a Delhi protest case over demands for Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar's resignation. The protests centre on alleged discrepancies in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral rolls.
Speaking to reporters in Chennai on Tuesday, the former chief of the Bharatiya Janata Party's Tamil Nadu unit drew a line between CJP's methods and the issues it has raised. “I may not agree with many of the CJP's modes of protest. I may not agree with some of the antics of CJP. That's a different argument. But I completely support CJP in terms of the questions they want to raise. It is for the government to answer,” Annamalai said.
He also accused Delhi Police of doing a ‘disservice’. Annamalai alleged that the police had taken "law into their hands" and argued that the government must answer the questions raised by CJP. He added: “To arrest them for a violation and again to drag them in terms of how they spend their time in jail, that is only going to make the leaders of CJP stronger. I'm afraid of it. The Delhi police are doing a real disservice,” he said.
Police And Court Action
The legal case moved ahead on Monday. A Delhi magistrate court extended the judicial custody of CJP's Ashutosh Ranka and Saurav Das by two more days in the Jantar Mantar trespassing case, Hindustan Times reported. In its order, the court said the duo showed "no respect for law".
The order also referred to the police investigation. Police alleged that Ranka and Das had "mobilised" and "enticed" the public through repeated social media calls for protests at Jantar Mantar. The site has been de-notified as a protest site.
The custody extension came amid scrutiny of the protest plan and the route used to gather supporters. The case is tied to demonstrations that sought Kumar's resignation over the alleged electoral roll discrepancies.
Detention And Reaction
Das attacked the process outside court. As he left the court after the hearing, Das questioned the grounds on which their sureties were rejected over allegations that they breached security and entered the site during the protest. “We're in an emergency. There is no justice. This is a police court and you see what is happening. Just look at the ground that they have taken,” Das said. The remarks were captured by Smita Sharma Journalist, a YouTube channel.
Ranka and Das were arrested last week after they tried to stage a protest at Jantar Mantar in Delhi along with other CJP activists. They were then sent to five-day judicial custody. The case has now been transferred to crime branch.
