CJP leaders withdraw High Court petition against judicial custody extension

UPDATE - follow-up to CJP's Saurav Das, Ashutosh Ranka withdraw Delhi High Court plea against extension of judicial custody: Cockroach Janta Party leaders Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka withdrew their Delhi High Court petition challenging their judicial custody extension after the court indicated that an Article 226 writ was not the right legal path for the matter.

Court Proceedings

During the hearing on Wednesday, October 21, 2026, Justice Subramonium Prasad noted the petitioners' ages as 27 for Mr. Das and 32 for Mr. Ranka, remarking during arguments that they were not Gen Z. The bench questioned their association and conduct, pointing out that barricades serve a purpose and that breaking them risks larger unrest. Additional Solicitor General Chetan Sharma and advocate Ashish Dixit represented the Delhi Police, while Abhik Chimni appeared for the petitioners. The judge permitted the withdrawal without making observations on the case merits, while CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke later reacted to the court's remarks on social media.

Next Steps

Context

The two CJP co-convenors will decide their next steps following an upcoming hearing before the Special Executive Magistrate court. They were initially taken into custody on October 13 after entering Jantar Mantar following its de-notification as a protest site.