CJP leaders Dipke, Das, Ranka in preventive arrest; to face Magistrate at Delhi Cantt today
Synopsis
Three Cockroach Janata Party leaders were intercepted at Delhi's IGI Airport on Saturday before they could join a protest against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over alleged electoral roll irregularities. With their magistrate hearing set for 9 am Sunday and the party vowing to march again regardless, the standoff between the CJP and Delhi Police is far from over.
Key Takeaways
Delhi Police placed CJP leaders Abhijeet Dipke , Saurav Das , and Ashutosh Ranka under preventive arrest on 10 October 2026 .
All three were detained at Indira Gandhi International Airport before they could join an anti-ECI protest in Delhi.
They are to be produced before an Executive Magistrate at Delhi Cantt Police Station at 9 am IST on 11 October 2026 .
CJP legal head Ratna Singh denied the party filed any habeas corpus petition in the Supreme Court , calling a circulating document fabricated.
CJP leader Ajinkya Shinde announced protesters will march to Jantar Mantar again on Sunday, demanding the resignation of CEC Gyanesh Kumar .
Delhi Police on Sunday, 11 October 2026 confirmed that three leaders of the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) — Abhijeet Dipke, Saurav Das, and Ashutosh Ranka — have been placed under preventive arrest and are set to be produced before an Executive Magistrate at Delhi Cantt Police Station at 9 am IST. The development comes a day after the trio was detained at Indira Gandhi International Airport upon arrival in the national capital.
What Led to the Arrests
The three CJP leaders were intercepted at the airport on Saturday, 10 October 2026, as they travelled to New Delhi to participate in a planned demonstration against the Election Commission of India (ECI). The protest was directed specifically at Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar over alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. Delhi Police invoked preventive detention provisions to forestall the demonstration, which had been scheduled at Jantar Mantar.
What the Party's Legal Head Said
Ratna Singh, CJP's legal affairs head, confirmed the magistrate hearing and said she would be present at the police station alongside other advocates. 'Abhijeet, Ashutosh and Saurav will be produced before the Executive Magistrate at Delhi Cantt Police Station at 9 AM today. A Delhi police official informed me about this in the morning. As CJP's Legal Head, I will be at the police station along with other advocates representing us,' Singh said in a post on X.
Petition Row: CJP Denies Supreme Court Filing
Separately, Singh moved to distance the party from a habeas corpus petition that had been circulating on social media and shared by a legal news platform on X. The petition, filed under Article 32 of the Constitution of India, sought directions to produce all persons allegedly detained in connection with the proposed CJP demonstration at Jantar Mantar on 10 October 2026 and secure their release if custody was not authorised by law. Singh was unequivocal: the CJP had not filed the petition and was not approaching the Supreme Court. 'Pls note — This petition is not filed by @Cockroachisback. We are not approaching the Supreme Court, and no habeas corpus petition has been approved by the CJP's legal team,' she clarified in her post.
Protest to Continue, CEC Resignation Demanded
Despite the detentions, CJP leader Ajinkya Shinde announced that protesters would march towards Jantar Mantar again on Sunday and would not stand down until CEC Gyanesh Kumar resigns. The party's core grievance centres on what it describes as irregularities in the SIR of electoral rolls — a process critics argue can alter voter registration in ways that disadvantage certain communities. This is among a series of demonstrations by opposition-aligned groups targeting the Election Commission in recent months.
Point of View
Wary of appearing to rely on judiciary intervention it did not initiate. The broader confrontation over the SIR of electoral rolls is a live fault line; opposition groups have repeatedly alleged the process is being used selectively, a charge the Election Commission has rejected. Until the magistrate's order is known, it remains unclear whether Sunday's planned march will face a fresh round of detentions.
NationPress
11 Oct 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Why were CJP leaders Dipke, Das and Ranka placed under preventive arrest?
The three Cockroach Janata Party leaders were placed under preventive arrest by Delhi Police on Saturday, 10 October 2026, after they landed at Indira Gandhi International Airport ahead of a planned demonstration against the Election Commission of India at Jantar Mantar. The protest was aimed at Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls.
What happens next for the three detained CJP leaders?
Abhijeet Dipke, Saurav Das, and Ashutosh Ranka are scheduled to be produced before an Executive Magistrate at Delhi Cantt Police Station at 9 am IST on Sunday, 11 October 2026. CJP legal head Ratna Singh confirmed she will be present with other advocates to represent them.
Did the CJP file a habeas corpus petition in the Supreme Court?
No. CJP legal affairs head Ratna Singh explicitly denied that the party filed any habeas corpus petition in the Supreme Court, stating that no such petition was approved by the CJP's legal team. She flagged a petition circulating on social media — which had been shared by a legal news platform on X — as not filed by the party.
What is the CJP's demand regarding the Chief Election Commissioner?
The Cockroach Janata Party is demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls. CJP leader Ajinkya Shinde announced that protesters would march to Jantar Mantar again on Sunday and would continue until the CEC steps down.
What is the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls?
The Special Intensive Revision is an exercise conducted by the Election Commission of India to update and clean voter registration lists. Opposition groups, including the CJP, have alleged that the current SIR contains irregularities that could affect voter eligibility, though the Election Commission has not publicly accepted these characterisations.
