CJP chief Abhijit Dipke gets conditional bail

Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) founder Abhijeet Dipke has been granted bail in Delhi, subject to certain conditions, Delhi Police said on Saturday. His bail comes after the party's head of legal affairs, Ratna Singh, challenged the legality of his arrest and urged the court to order his immediate release, alleging violations of fundamental rights and due process. This was the second time in a week that Dipke had been detained by the Delhi Police. He was earlier taken into custody shortly after arriving in Delhi from Mumbai to participate in a protest against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over alleged manipulation of electoral rolls during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise.

In a post on X, Singh questioned how calling on citizens to participate in a peaceful national demonstration could be treated as an offence.

"The SEM Court should release Abhijeet Dipke, as his arrest is unlawful. He merely urged people to unfurl the Tiranga - how can that by itself be a crime?" Singh wrote.

Singh raised concerns over the circumstances in which Dipke was detained, alleging that he was picked up outside his residence and that authorities failed to promptly disclose his whereabouts. She also claimed that his lawyers had been unable to meet him.

"The manner in which he was picked up from right outside his residence, no information about his whereabouts, and the fact that even his lawyers have been unable to meet him raise serious concerns about due process and fundamental rights. How can such an apparent abuse of power be justified in a democracy governed by the rule of law? Delhi Police cannot do unlawful acts under the garb of preventive detention," she added.

Singh had earlier said Dipke was scheduled to be produced before the Special Executive Magistrate (SEM) at Mandir Marg Police Station around noon on Saturday.

Delhi Police detained Dipke on Friday to prevent him from leading the CJP's proposed ‘Lehra Do Tiranga’ rally at Central Park in Connaught Place. All India Students’ Association (AISA) chief Neha Bora was also detained near Mandi House as the Delhi Police tightened security across the national capital. She was briefly released following her detention.

Authorities had invoked Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), imposing prohibitory orders restricting public assemblies in Central Delhi.

Ahead of the rally, police had informed Dipke that Connaught Place was not a designated protest site and that the New Delhi Municipal Council had not granted permission for the proposed Tiranga Yatra.

Dipke's detention came amid demonstrations against the Election Commission over alleged irregularities in electoral roll revisions under the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise. Police said around 150 demonstrators had been detained and several FIRs registered over alleged violations of prohibitory orders after crowds gathered despite warnings.

Following Friday's events, 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 required to sign a peace bond undertaking for a period of one year.

The protests form part of a wider campaign by Opposition leaders, INDIA bloc parties and student organisations against the Election Commission's SIR exercise and its handling of the electoral process.