‘Pressured to release Ranka, Das’: CJP bail hearing put off as judge cites threat to life

Das and Ranka were sent to five days of judicial custody on Oct 14

NEW DELHI: The bail hearing of Cockroach Janta Party functionaries Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka was put off Sunday after the special executive magistrate failed to arrive at the scheduled time, and later recused himself citing threat to his life.Delhi police registered a case in connection with the alleged threat. Police sources said the SEM had been pressured to release Ranka and Das without delay.CJP argued that the alleged threat was a separate complaint and suggested that police examine call detail records (CDRs) to ascertain whether the SEM’s number had been shared from a CJP member’s device. The magistrate declined.Das and Ranka were sent to five days of judicial custody on Oct 14 after they entered Jantar Mantar, which had been denotified as a designated protest site, by breaching barricades.CJP has alleged delay in the bail hearing, with the outfit’s legal head Ratna Singh also saying four sureties had been rejected on “vague grounds”. She posted on X that said she had been at the police station since 11am for the hearing, which was scheduled for noon, but the assistant commissioner of police, who also functions as the SEM, arrived around 5.30pm.

Advocate Abhist Hela said no specific statutory provision was cited to reschedule the hearing, with the decision resting on concerns for judicial officers’ safety, among others.

“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. The case has been registered under the provisions of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) for alleged criminal intimidation and threatening a public servant.