Delhi Police release CJP leaders on bond after protest detentions

Delhi Police have released three key leaders of the Cockroach Janta Party after holding them in preventive detention for more than 20 hours, requiring each of them to sign a bond promising not to breach public peace for an entire year.

Party founder Abhijeet Dipke, alongside co-conveners Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka, were produced before a Special Executive Magistrate at the Delhi Cantt police station on Sunday morning. Delhi Police confirmed that the trio furnished a surety bond of Rs 50,000 each for "maintaining peace and good behaviour for a period of one year" before their release was sanctioned.

The three were detained on Saturday immediately after their flight from Mumbai landed at Indira Gandhi International Airport. Police boarded the aircraft before passengers could disembark, taking the leaders into custody to stop them from leading a planned demonstration at Jantar Mantar. The protest was called to demand the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls.

Why police invoked BNSS Sections 126 and 170

The leaders were held without a formal First Information Report under preventive provisions of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, which replaced the Code of Criminal Procedure earlier this year.

Delhi Police invoked Section 170 of the BNSS, an emergency power that permits an officer to arrest someone without a warrant or magisterial order if they believe a cognisable offence is being planned and cannot otherwise be prevented. Under this provision, custody cannot exceed 24 hours without further judicial authorisation.

To secure their release, the executive magistrate applied Section 126 of the BNSS. The clause allows authorities to demand an undertaking from any person deemed likely to disrupt public order or commit a wrongful act. Under the terms of the bond, the trio face immediate re-arrest and forfeiture of the Rs 50,000 surety if they participate in unauthorised gatherings or breach public order over the next 12 months.

Ratna Singh, head of legal affairs for the party, confirmed the court had set the condition of "no breach of peace for one year". Singh also dismissed claims circulating online that the party had petitioned the Supreme Court under Article 32 for habeas corpus relief, clarifying that no such plea had been filed by their legal team.

What Section 163 means for the Delhi protests

While the party's core leadership has walked out of the police station, central Delhi remains strictly off-limits to demonstrators. The Delhi Police denied permission for the gathering and clamped prohibitory orders under Section 163 of the BNSS across the New Delhi district, barring assemblies of five or more people.

Saturday's planned demonstration sparked massive disruption. Police detained more than 7,000 protesters across railway stations, bus terminals, and road checkpoints to prevent crowds from reaching Jantar Mantar. Several prominent opposition politicians, including former chief ministers Arvind Kejriwal and Mamata Banerjee, were among those taken into temporary custody before being released late on Saturday.

The security clampdown also hit commuters. The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation shut entry and exit gates across 45 stations on Saturday at the request of police, including central interchanges such as Rajiv Chowk and Patel Chowk, before restoring normal services later that night.

With Dipke, Das, and Ranka under strict bond restrictions, the party's organisation in-charge, Ajinkya Shinde, announced that demonstrators would continue pushing for marches towards Jantar Mantar until the Chief Election Commissioner steps down. However, heavy police and paramilitary deployments remain stationed across Connaught Place, backed by anti-riot vehicles, leaving the prospect of any further gathering in central Delhi firmly blocked.