Bhubaneswar, Oct 20 (IANS) Odisha’s Leader of Opposition (LoP) and Biju Janata Dal (BJD) President Naveen Patnaik on Tuesday came out in support of Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) leaders Ashutosh Ranka and Saurav Das, demanding their immediate release from judicial custody.
He said that raising the national flag in a restricted zone does not warrant prolonged detention, urging authorities to uphold constitutional rights and preserve youth trust in the rule of law.
Taking to his official X account on Tuesday, Patnaik said, “The judicial custody of #AshutoshRanka and #SauravDas must be urgently reviewed and they must be released immediately. Hoisting the National Flag, even in a prohibited area, should not warrant such prolonged detention. The Judiciary and the Executive must rise to the occasion to ensure that the youth of this country do not lose faith in the rule of law and constitutional rights.”
Ranka and Das were among 14 people detained on October 13 after allegedly entering Jantar Mantar, a de-notified protest site, through private premises and allegedly obstructing police personnel from discharging their official duties.
The two CJP leaders were initially remanded to five days of judicial custody on October 14 in connection with the case.
They were protesting against alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and had raised slogans demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar.
On Monday, the Special Executive Magistrate (SEM), Ritu Raj, extended the judicial custody of Das and Ranka by two days, till October 21, saying that their conduct showed “no respect for law” and reflected their “habitualness in calling protest at de-notified areas”.
In the order, the Magistrate said the duo had deliberately breached the bonds furnished by them on October 11 before the SEM of South-West district, and subsequently committed a breach of peace in the present case.
The Magistrate added that the assurance given by the two CJP leaders during arguments that they would not repeat the alleged offence that did not inspire confidence in view of their past conduct and the material placed on record by the investigating officer.
–IANS
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