New Delhi, Oct 19 Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) founder Abhijeet Dipke on Monday drew a contrast between Allahabad High Court staying the conviction and sentence of a murder accused who wishes to contest elections on a BJP ticket and the continued incarceration of CJP co-convenors Ashutosh Ranka and Saurav Das, whose judicial custody has been extended by two days.
Dipke shared screenshots of two news reports on X, one headlined “Allahabad High Court suspends conviction of murder convict who wishes to contest election on BJP ticket” and the other on the extension of the judicial custody of Ranka and Das.
According to the report, the Allahabad High Court has stayed the conviction and life sentence of Nandlal Rai alias Babloo Rai — convicted last year in a 2017 murder case — after he expressed his desire to contest 2027 Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls as an independent candidate or, if possible, on a BJP ticket.
The court observed that the right to livelihood of a common man is no less important than a politician’s right to contest elections, and said the conviction and sentence deserve to be stayed so that he can survive until the final verdict in his appeal. The appeal against his conviction is pending.
In another post, Dipke spoke about the sacrifices made by Ranka and Das, saying they have given up successful careers and financial security in the hope of making the country a better place.
“A few years ago, Ashu had a high-paying corporate job in London, earning millions. Saurav was writing about the country’s legal system and living a great life. Both had successful careers, financial security and every reason to continue living the lives they had built for themselves,” he said.
“But they chose to give it all up in the hope of making this country a better place. They had absolutely no reason to leave behind their comfortable lives, take to the streets, face uncertainty and eventually end up in jail. Yet they did,” he said.
Dipke said what he admires most about the two is that, despite coming from privileged backgrounds, they chose to fight for those who are not as fortunate.
“They could have easily looked the other way, enjoyed their lives and never bothered about the struggles of people they had never even met. Nobody asked them to make these sacrifices. Nobody expected them to. But they did, because they genuinely care about people beyond themselves,” he said.
Dipke described standing up for people one does not know, fighting battles that are not one’s own and risking everything to improve someone else’s life as the greatest qualities a human being can have.
“That’s the kind of people Ashu and Saurav are,” he said.
The CJP in a statement demanded immediate release of its leaders and institutional accountability. It said it will challenge this order before higher judicial forums immediately.
Its legal head Ratna Singh termed the extension of Ranka and Das’ judicial custody “absurd”. “I haven’t seen anything this absurd in my entire life,” she said in a post on X.
Later, talking to reporters, Singh described the proceedings before the special executive magistrate (SEM) as “no less than a circus” and called for the court’s abolition, alleging that the law is being misused to keep Ranka and Das in custody.
“The SEM court should be abolished because it is compromised,” she said, questioning the rejection of the sureties submitted for Ranka and Das.
Singh said the lawyers for the two CJP leaders argued on legal grounds and no apprehension of a protest or breach of peace was established. “There has been no call (for a protest) from our end. And still, they were sent to two days’ judicial custody. They (authorities) do not want to do anything about their liberty,” she said.
She also questioned the magistrate’s conduct during the proceedings, alleging that the official was on the phone in the courtroom. Demanding an inquiry into the functioning of the authorities, she said the proceedings raise serious concerns about individual liberty.
“I just feel that this entire system is there to crush us, but I don’t think it will succeed,” Singh said.
“The youngsters of this country are watching. They are seeing how power is being used. They (authorities) are misusing the law to curb voices,” she said, adding that the government would eventually have to answer.
“The SEM’s order offers no explanation for what the alleged apprehension is, merely stating that because the state claims to have an apprehension, they must remain in custody,” she said.
According to the CJP, the court rejected the fresh sureties claiming photographs did not match or that the sureties lacked control over the detainees.
Ranka and Das were on Monday remanded in judicial custody for two more days after they were produced before a newly-appointed special executive magistrate at the Mandir Marg police station, an official said.
The two were initially sent to judicial custody for five days on October 13, after they allegedly climbed over a locked gate to enter Jantar Mantar, days after it was de-notified as a designated protest site. Along with other CJP activists, they displayed the national flag and raised slogans against Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar, before being detained.
The CJP has alleged that the bail proceedings were deliberately delayed to prevent the release of its two co-convenors. It has also questioned the rejection of their bail sureties on what it described as vague grounds.
On Sunday, the special executive magistrate hearing their bail matter claimed that unidentified persons are threatening him, following which police registered a non-cognisable report.
Ranka and Das will be produced before the special executive magistrate again on Wednesday, sources said.
(PTI News)
