Story perspectives

Court Orders Release of CJP Leaders After 50,000 Bonds

By Drooid · Oct 22, 2026, 5:23 PM UTC · How we work

Summary

Story summary

Executive Magistrate Ritu Raj ordered the release of CJP leaders Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka.
They posted 50,000 bonds and pledged not to protest at Jantar Mantar.
They were detained on Oct 13 for scaling Jantar Mantar’s locked gates, with custody extended on Oct 14 and Oct 19.
CJP legal head Ratna Singh said the extensions violated Article 21 and demanded a night hearing.

History

Historical Context

During the 1975-77 Emergency, Indira Gandhi’s government invoked the 39th Amendment and the Supreme Court’s 1976 ADM Jabalpur decision—issued by a five-judge bench with a 4:1 majority—to suspend habeas corpus, allowing mass detention. The episode entrenched a legacy of judicial deference to security orders that now resurfaces as Delhi’s Jantar Mantar protests see activists Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka held in extended custody.

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Story summary

Executive Magistrate Ritu Raj ordered the release of CJP leaders Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka.
They posted 50,000 bonds and pledged not to protest at Jantar Mantar.
They were detained on Oct 13 for scaling Jantar Mantar’s locked gates, with custody extended on Oct 14 and Oct 19.
CJP legal head Ratna Singh said the extensions violated Article 21 and demanded a night hearing.

1 / 2