Abhijeet Dipke Released on Peace Bond; Das, Ranka Still in Custody
Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) founder Abhijeet Dipke was released on Saturday after a Special Executive Magistrate (SEM) at Mandir Marg in New Delhi granted him conditional bail and he signed a peace bond, Delhi Police said. Dipke had been detained on Friday evening on his way to the party’s “Lehra Do Tiranga” protest at Central Park in Connaught Place, and was arrested on Saturday morning.
The Conditions Of His Release
The main condition of the bond is that Dipke must keep the peace for one year. The bond amount, any surety and other conditions have not been made public, and police said they were awaiting the written order.
Police had acted under Sections 126 and 170 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), which allow an Executive Magistrate to take preventive action against a likely breach of peace and allow police to make a preventive arrest. Police said Dipke was arrested for allegedly breaching a similar bond he had signed on October 10, when he was detained at the airport.
Delay In The Hearing
Ratna Singh, the CJP’s head of legal affairs, who represented Dipke, said the hearing was scheduled for 12 noon but had still not begun by 3:38 pm. “You can’t take away people’s liberty by delaying the entire process,” she said in a post on X, and asked whether the delay was deliberate. She also called for the release of party leaders Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka.
Das and Ranka were sent to five days of judicial custody by an SEM on October 14 over their alleged entry into Jantar Mantar, a site no longer designated for protests. Police treated them as repeat offenders for allegedly breaking one-year peace bonds, backed by Rs 50,000 sureties each, that they had signed on October 10. They were not released on Saturday. In a later post on X on Saturday evening, Singh said the two “couldn’t come out because IO came at 6PM for 2PM hearing”, referring to the investigating officer in their case. Police have not publicly responded to her claim.
Why It Matters For Citizens
Peace bonds are a preventive tool, not a finding of guilt. They let authorities hold a person to a promise of good behaviour without a criminal trial, which is why their use against protesters often draws debate about the right to assemble. Earlier, AISA president Neha Bora was released early on Saturday, and police said about 150 people had been detained around the protest.
For ordinary people, the case shows how preventive provisions can restrict movement for a year at a time. Background on the campaign is in our explainer, Why the CJP Is Holding Lehra Do Tiranga Protests.
Further developments, including the status of Das and Ranka, will be reported as official orders become available.
Based on reporting by LiveLaw, The Week, LawBeat, Siasat, Gulf News and posts by Ratna Singh on X.
Image: AFP via Gulf News.
