CJP Leaders Sourav Das and Ashutosh Ranka Released After Seven Days in Jail

New Delhi: CJP leaders Sourav Das and Ashutosh Ranka, who were arrested for raising the Tricolour at Jantar Mantar, have been released from jail. The two walked free after seven days in custody. CJP activists who gathered outside Tihar Jail were greeted by the duo, who raised their fists and shouted “Inquilab Zindabad”.

A Special Executive Magistrate ordered their release on bail on Wednesday evening, rejecting the Delhi Police’s request to keep them in custody for another three days.

Sourav and Ashutosh were taken into custody on October 13 for staging a protest at Jantar Mantar. They were produced before a court on October 14, which ordered their remand for five days. Their judicial custody was later extended by another two days. Bail was granted on Wednesday, shortly before their custody period was due to end.

The Delhi Police had allegedly resorted to various tactics to delay the release of the two on bail. The IPS officer serving as Executive Magistrate had denied bail the previous day, citing what was described as a flimsy reason: that the photograph of the person willing to stand as surety did not match. The two young men were brought to the court in an armoured vehicle, handcuffed in a manner similar to the treatment of hardened criminals. The vehicle used to transport them resembled a prison van, with no visibility between the inside and the outside.