NEW DELHI: Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) founder Abhijeet Dipke shared a meme referencing the Bollywood film ‘Veer-Zaara’ after being granted bail on Saturday, following around 24 hours in detention.In a post on X, Dipke wrote, “How it feels walking out of jail after 24 hours with no wifi and phone,” alongside a picture of Shah Rukh Khan’s character Veer from the film, showing him walking out of jail after spending over 20 years behind bars.He then wrote that he’s now waiting for his “brothers” to be free. Earlier on Monday, Delhi Police arrested CJP leaders Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka for allegedly trespassing at Jantar Mantar, which has been de-notified as a designated protest venue.Following their detention, Das and Ranka were sent to five days of judicial custody
Dipke granted bail after peace bond
Delhi Police said Dipke had been granted bail subject to certain conditions and would be released after signing a peace bond.He was detained on Friday to prevent him from leading the scheduled ‘Lehra Do Tiranga’ rally at Central Park in Connaught Place.Police had invoked Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), imposing prohibitory orders against public assemblies in Central Delhi.Around 150 demonstrators were detained after crowds gathered despite police warnings, and several FIRs were registered over alleged violations of the orders.Following the protest, police booked Dipke under Sections 126 and 170 of the BNSS in a fresh preventive proceeding. This was separate from an earlier action on October 10, when he was asked to sign a peace bond undertaking for a period of one year.
CJP legal head challenges arrest
Before Dipke was granted bail, CJP’s head of legal affairs, Ratna Singh, challenged the legality of his arrest before the Special Executive Magistrate (SEM) court, seeking his immediate release.Singh argued that Dipke had merely urged people to unfurl the national flag and participate in a peaceful demonstration, questioning how the call could itself be treated as an offence.She also raised concerns about the circumstances of his detention, alleging that he was picked up outside his residence, authorities did not promptly disclose his whereabouts and his lawyers were unable to meet him.Singh described the detention as an apparent violation of due process and fundamental rights, arguing that preventive detention could not be used to justify unlawful action.Dipke’s detention came amid demonstrations by Opposition leaders, INDIA bloc parties and student organisations against the Election Commission’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and its handling of the electoral process.(With agency inputs)
