Abhijeet Dipke Granted Bail After Delhi Police Detention
Cockroach Janata Party founder Abhijeet Dipke granted bail after being detained for the 'Lehra Do Tiranga' rally in Delhi.
Abhijeet Dipke, the founder and activist of the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP), has been granted bail by a Delhi court. The Delhi Police confirmed on Saturday that Dipke will be released upon the signing of a peace bond, ending a brief period of detention that sparked concerns over democratic rights and legal due process.
The Spark: 'Lehra Do Tiranga' Rally
The controversy began on Friday when Delhi Police detained Dipke to prevent him from leading the 'Lehra Do Tiranga' rally, which was scheduled to take place at Central Park in Connaught Place. To curb the gathering, authorities had invoked Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), placing strict prohibitory orders on public assemblies across Central Delhi.
This action was part of a larger crackdown on demonstrations targeting the Election Commission. Protesters have been voicing grievances over alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. Police reported that approximately 150 demonstrators were detained, and multiple FIRs were registered against those who defied the prohibitory orders.
Legal Battle and Allegations of Abuse
The arrest of the CJP founder was strongly contested by Ratna Singh, the head of legal affairs for the Cockroach Janata Party. Singh approached the Special Executive Magistrate (SEM) Court, challenging the legality of the arrest and demanding Dipke's immediate release.
Taking to X (formerly Twitter), Singh questioned the grounds of the detention, arguing that encouraging citizens to participate in a peaceful national demonstration and unfurl the national flag should not be treated as a criminal offense.
"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.
Concerns Over Due Process
Beyond the reason for the arrest, the CJP legal head raised serious alarms regarding the conduct of the authorities. Singh alleged that Dipke was picked up from directly outside his residence, after which the police failed to promptly disclose his location. Furthermore, she claimed that his legal counsel was denied access to him during the initial period of detention.
Singh described the situation as an "apparent abuse of power," asserting that the Delhi Police cannot use the guise of preventive detention to carry out unlawful acts in a democracy governed by the rule of law.
The Legal Framework and Previous Actions
Following the event, the police booked Dipke under Sections 126 and 170 of the BNSS in a new preventive proceeding. It is important to note that this was not the first time Dipke had faced such measures; on October 10, he was involved in a separate preventive action where he was required to sign a peace bond undertaking for a duration of one year.
The unrest involving Dipke is mirrored by wider protests led by student organizations and parties within the INDIA bloc, all centering on the Election Commission's handling of the electoral process and roll revisions.