'Truth has triumphed': CJP's Saurav Das as court frees him, Ashutosh Ranka

CJP leader Saurav Das on Wednesday said “truth has triumphed” after a special executive magistrate ordered the release of him and Ashutosh Ranka.

A Special Executive Magistrate (SEM) ordered the release of CJP leaders Saurav Das, Ashutosh Ranka after their five-day custody was extended by two more days on October 19.

Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Ritu Raj, acting as the SEM, passed the release order after accepting the sureties furnished by Das and Ranka, according to Bar and Bench.

CJP leaders challenge order against custody extension

The development comes after the Delhi High Court on Wednesday heard a petition filed by the CJP leaders challenging the SEM court's order extending their judicial custody till October 21.

The petitioners subsequently withdrew their plea after the high court refused to entertain it.

During the hearing, Justice Subramonium Prasad asked Abhik Chimni, counsel for the petitioners, about their ages. Chimni informed the court that Saurav Das was 27 years old and Ashutosh Ranka was 32.

“Then you are not Gen Z. What is Gen Z? Court is informed that people born after 1997 are Gen Z. Then you are not Gen Z," the court remarked.

CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke also reacted to the court's remarks. He shared a picture of Prime Minister Narendra Modi on X, captioning it, "The only person who qualifies as a Gen Z.

Why Das, Ranka were jailed

The case is linked to CJP protests seeking the resignation of chief election commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.

On October 11, Delhi Police withdrew Jantar Mantar's status as an authorised protest site. The decision has been challenged separately in the Supreme Court and the Delhi high court.

Two days later, on October 13, Das and Ranka visited Jantar Mantar carrying the national flag. They were detained the following day, after which the special executive magistrate (SEM) sent them to five days of judicial custody, citing concerns over a possible breach of peace.

On October 19, the magistrate rejected their sureties, citing doubts about the sureties' ability to ensure the petitioners' compliance and discrepancies in identity documents. Their judicial custody was consequently extended by another two days.

The controversy surrounding CEC Gyanesh Kumar intensified after an Indian Express report said that Election Commissioners had raised objections to decisions taken by the CEC on 14 occasions over a 10-month period. The Election Commission maintained that all its decisions had been unanimous.