Photo Credit: Abhijeet Dipke
A Delhi magistrate freed the two CJP leaders after they promised to keep the peace and not call protests at Jantar Mantar. Hours later, they repeated their demand: “Gyanu must go.”
Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka, two leaders of India’s youth-led Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), walked out of Delhi’s Tihar jail on Wednesday, October 21, after seven days in judicial custody.
A Special Executive Magistrate ordered their release after both men gave written promises to keep the peace. The case against them is not over. The inquiry continues, and they must return to court on Friday, October 23.
Within hours of their release, the two men made clear their campaign is not over either.
“Gyanu must go”
In a video posted on X and Instagram by party founder Abhijeet Dipke on Wednesday, the two leaders chanted:
“Bharat Mata ki Jai, Inquilab Zindabad, Gyanu must go.”
“Bharat Mata ki Jai” means “Victory to Mother India.” “Inquilab Zindabad” means “Long live the revolution.” “Gyanu” is their nickname for Gyanesh Kumar, India’s Chief Election Commissioner. The party wants him to resign over the way his office is reviewing voter lists across India.
“Boys have a message,” Dipke wrote with the video. “Gyanu must go!”
Why they were jailed
The two men were detained on October 13 after they went into Jantar Mantar, a street near India’s Parliament that was Delhi’s main protest site for years. One day earlier, on October 12, Delhi Police had removed it from the list of places where protests are allowed.
Police said the men broke peace bonds they had signed on October 11. A peace bond is a written promise to the authorities to stay out of trouble. They had signed those bonds after being detained at the party’s large protest on October 10.
The police did not file a regular criminal case. They used preventive law, which lets the authorities hold a person to stop a possible breach of peace before it happens.
On October 14, a magistrate sent the two men to Tihar for five days. On October 19, the court refused to release them and added two more days. It said their promise not to repeat the offence “does not inspire confidence,” ANI reported.
Why they were freed
On Wednesday, police asked the court to keep the two men in jail for three more days. They argued that the risk to public peace remained, pointing to the men’s statements and conduct.
Police also raised a comment that another CJP member made to the media while the two were being taken to Tihar. Police said it undermined the court’s dignity. The defence lawyers offered an unconditional apology for that comment and promised it would not happen again.
The magistrate, Ritu Raj, rejected the police request. He ruled that the peace could be protected through bonds and written promises, and that “further judicial custody did not appear necessary at this stage.”
What they promised
In their written promises, the two leaders said they would:
- not commit any breach of the peace
- not call for any protest at Jantar Mantar while it remains closed to protests
- hold any future protest “within the four corners of the Constitution of India”
They also said they have faith in the courts.
Each man had to give a personal bond and a surety bond of 50,000 rupees (about $600), which will stay in force until the inquiry ends, ANI reported. A surety bond means another person guarantees they will keep their promise. The court ordered them to “strictly adhere” to these terms and to attend every hearing.
What the release does not mean
The release is not a ruling that the men did nothing wrong, or that their time in jail was unlawful. It only means the court decided they no longer needed to be held.
The inquiry into whether they broke their earlier peace bonds continues. On the same day, the two leaders also withdrew a petition at the Delhi High Court that had challenged their custody.
The bigger question
The case sits at the centre of a wider debate in India over where and how people can protest.
Jantar Mantar was, for years, the one place in central Delhi where citizens could gather to be heard near Parliament. Delhi Police has replaced it with three grounds further from the centre: Ramlila Ground, Burari Ground and CBD Ground.
The government says the change protects public order and safety. The CJP and its supporters say it pushes protest away from the people in power. The two leaders’ promise covers only Jantar Mantar, and only while it stays closed to protests. It does not stop them from protesting elsewhere, as long as they stay within the law.
Their video message suggests they intend to keep going.
What happens next
The two leaders must appear before the magistrate on Friday, October 23, at 3 p.m. Police must report to the court on whether the people who stood surety for them have been verified.
The party’s main demand, the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, remains unchanged.
By The Lion Capital Editorial Team | October 2026