Tag Archives: released

New Delhi Paralysed Over Escalating Anti-CEC Student Protests (Chronology)

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A heavy security blanket has completely enveloped the national capital as central Delhi braces for massive demonstration waves. According to official operational briefings from the Delhi Police, over 30,000 police and paramilitary personnel, including specialized Rapid Action Force (RAF) and Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) units, have been heavily deployed.
In a bid to restrict mass gatherings, the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) enforced strict transit curbs, completely shutting down entry and exit gates at key transit junctions like Mandi House and Barakhamba Road. Concurrently, severe road blockades have transformed the heart of Connaught Place and borders surrounding Delhi into a strict checking zone.
The friction centers around the Gen Z-fueled Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), spearheaded by political strategist Abhijeet Dipke. The grassroots youth group, alongside the Left-leaning All India Students’ Association (AISA), is forcefully demanding the immediate resignation of Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar.

Chronology of Anti-CEC protests

Sept. 25, 2026: Direct anti-CEC protests are triggered after The Indian Express reports that two other internal election commissioners formally objected to major decisions in the voter list revision.
— The Indian National Congress launches an initial wave of nationwide protests demanding the CEC’s ouster, holding demonstrations across cities like Delhi, Patna, and Kolkata.
Sept. 30, 2026: The multi-party opposition INDIA bloc officially unites with the youth-led CJP, calling for a massive nationwide protest beginning on October 2.

October 2, 2026: High-profile protests and political marches kick off across Delhi and Mumbai. Shiv Sena (UBT) leaders lead a massive march in Mumbai, resulting in over 500 detentions.
October 6, 2026: Top opposition leaders, including Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi, lead a march from the Parliament House toward the Election Commission of India (ECI) headquarters. They are blocked by Delhi Police and hold a sit-in dharna on Parliament Street.
October 8, 2026: The epicenter temporarily shifts to the south as public figures like Prakash Raj alongside Dipke spearhead a major CJP rally in Bengaluru, demanding an immediate halt to the SIR program.

October 10, 2026: CJP calls for thousands to converge at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi. Authorities react by deploying over 23,000 security personnel, suspending mobile internet, and locking down 45 metro stations.
— CJP leaders Abhijeet Dipke, Saurav Das, and Ashutosh Ranka are intercepted and detained by police directly from their seats inside an Air India flight upon landing at IGI Airport.
— Over 3,300 demonstrators are detained across the capital through the day.
October 11, 2026: The Supreme Court holds an urgent special hearing regarding the heavy transit lockdowns and mass detentions, directing the government to restore free movement and metro services.
— A Delhi magistrate court orders the conditional release of the top CJP leaders. Dipke leaves for Maharashtra following the death of his grandmother, while co-convenors Das and Ranka pledge that peaceful protests will resume.
October 12, 2026: The INDIA bloc launches a massive march directly to the Supreme Court. Delhi remains heavily fortified with multi-layer barricades and police forces as six major metro stations are closed down again to restrict the flow of demonstrators.

Critics and opposition leaders claim that the Election Commission’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise has compromised the integrity of democratic voter lists. A detailed statement from CJP leadership on Instagram live revealed that Dipke and senior conveners Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka were aggressively rounded up by local police directly inside an Air India flight upon touching down in Delhi. They were subsequently released by a local magistrate’s court late Sunday evening.
The legal friction intensified heavily when the Supreme Court Bar Association stepped in. In a formal request to the Supreme Court, senior bar members registered strong complaints against the detention of defending lawyers who were reporting from their chambers to assist students.
Despite the legal standoff, the multi-party INDIA opposition bloc, led by LoP Rahul Gandhi, has unified to launch a massive march directed right toward the apex court. Addressing the ongoing crackdown via an official press release, senior leaders declared the administrative restrictions an “undeclared emergency,” emphasizing that peaceful democratic assembly is a core constitutional right that will not be subdued by force.

Released CJP Leader Abhijeet Dipke Vows Fresh Protests, Says ‘No Bond Signed’

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Abhijeet Dipke, founder of the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), has vowed to resume protests against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, asserting that the party has not signed any agreement promising to abandon its agitation. His declaration came hours after a Delhi court ordered his release, along with fellow CJP leaders Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka, following their detention during Saturday’s planned demonstration.

“Haven’t signed any bond that says we won’t protest. We will hit the streets again,” Dipke wrote on X on Sunday, October 11. He also declared that the CJP would not be intimidated, describing October 10 as “the beginning of the end of this dictatorship.”

Court’s Peace Condition Raises Questions Over Future Protests

The three CJP leaders were released after a Delhi executive magistrate court imposed a condition requiring them to maintain peace and good behaviour for one year. According to reports, a surety bond of ₹50,000 was filed in connection with their release. Dipke’s subsequent statement indicates that the party intends to continue its political agitation, although the precise legal implications of the release condition for future demonstrations remain a separate question.

Dipke said he was returning to his hometown in Maharashtra to attend the last rites of his grandmother, who died on Saturday. CJP co-conveners Das and Ranka later addressed a press conference in Delhi following his departure.

CJP Protest Against Gyanesh Kumar Enters Second Day

The CJP’s agitation centres on demands for Kumar’s resignation over alleged irregularities in the revision of electoral rolls under the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise. The Election Commission and the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party have denied allegations of wrongdoing, while the Commission has said eligible voters whose names were incorrectly removed can re-enrol.

Delhi Police detained thousands of people during Saturday’s crackdown on the planned rally, according to Reuters, as authorities deployed police and paramilitary personnel, restricted movement in parts of the capital and suspended mobile internet services in the central business district. The planned demonstration at Jantar Mantar was blocked by security forces. Reuters reported that the protests also led to the detention of demonstrators in Mumbai.

The agitation continued on Sunday, with more than 100 protesters detained as CJP supporters and members of student organisations attempted to march towards Jantar Mantar. CPI(M) Rajya Sabha MP John Brittas was also among those detained, according to police cited by PTI.

The dispute has widened beyond the immediate confrontation between protesters and police. The UN Human Rights Office expressed concern over the mass detentions and called for the right to peaceful assembly to be respected. India’s Permanent Mission to the UN in Geneva rejected the criticism as an “unwarranted interference” in the country’s internal affairs.

With Dipke now promising renewed demonstrations, the next phase of the confrontation will depend on how the CJP proceeds with its protest plans and how authorities enforce restrictions linked to public order. The party has made clear that its demand for Kumar’s resignation remains unchanged.

Kejriwal, Sisodia absolved by Delhi Court in liquor case, Kejriwal in Tears; Complete List of Discharged

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On Friday, a court in Delhi ruled that there are no charges against former Chief minister Arvind Kejriwal, his former deputy Manish Sisodia and 21 other individuals accused in the Delhi excise policy scandal. The decision condemned the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and cast doubt at the way the case was conducted.

Special Judge Jitender Singh of the Rouse Avenue Court held that no conspiracy or criminal intent went into the excise policy and that the case brought before the prosecution was mere guesswork. There were no charges the judge made against the 23 accused.

The judge was clear. He claimed that the investigation of the CBI was very problematic. The indictment was very long and had numerous holes and failed to correspond with the accounts given by witnesses. A large portion of it was deceptive and unsubstantiated.

On Kejriwal in particular, the court ruled that there was no concrete evidence that he had done it. According to the judge, it is incorrect to accuse a person in a constitutional position without sufficient evidence, which is against the rule of law.

Sisodia 530 Days in Jail For Nothing

The longest serving jailer, Manish Sisodia, was arrested by the CBI on February 26, 2023 and by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on March 9, 2023. It took him 530 days in jail when the Supreme Court released him on bail in August 2024.

The court did not get anything to demonstrate that Sisodia was involved in the creation or execution of the excise policy. He did not spend any money on the government. According to the judge, the CBI was not even in a position to construct a simple case against him.

The court as well directed a departmental inquiry of the work of CBI officer due to errors committed in the course of investigation. This is a big warning that demonstrates that the judge is concerned not only with this particular case.

Kejriwal Melts Down: ‘Truth Has Triumphed’

Kejriwal was also emotional in talking to reporters outside the court. He added that the court had dismissed any form of charges leveled against him and his party. He said the truth wins. He alleged that BJP had plotted against the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and had arrested the 5 top leaders of the party.

“For the past few years, the way BJP has been accusing us in the Delhi excise policy case, today the court has rejected all the allegations levelled against us. We have always said that the truth wins. PM Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah conspired against AAP and arrested the party’s five biggest leaders. They wanted to finish AAP. A sitting chief minister was arrested. This had never happened in India,” he said, as reported by PTI.

He continued: “We were accused and called corrupt in every channel. Kejriwal is not corrupt. I have only earned honesty. The court has said today that Kejriwal, Manish Sisodia and AAP are honest. Court order proves Kejriwal and Aam Aadmi Party are kattar imaandar [dead honest].”

Before being granted bail by the Supreme Court on September 13, 2024, Kejriwal had spent 56 days in custody.

The government of Delhi adopted a new excise policy in 2021. It assured an increase in revenue and increase in participation of the private in the sale of liquor. The policy was subsequently revoked following complaints by individuals that it had irregularities. The CBI was then investigating on the request of Lt. Governor Vinay Kumar Saxena.

The ED and the CBI reported that the policy was established to assist a group of private consumers known as the South Group. According to them, AAP leadership received kickbacks, and the people money was lost. All the accused have refuted these claims.

Complete List of the Discharged

Other names that were exonerated with Kejriwal and Sisodia included Kuldeep Singh, Narender Singh, Vijay Nair, Abhishek Boinpally, Arun Pillai, Mootha Gautam, Sameer Mahendru, Amandeep Singh Dhall, Arjun Pandey, Butchibabu Gorantla, Rajesh Joshi, Damodar Prasad Sharma, Prince Kumar, Arvind Kumar Singh, Chanpreet Singh, K. Kavitha, Durgesh Pathak

What Happens Next?

The CBI will probably petition in the High Court of the discharge order. This implies that the battle against the law might not be over despite the decision in the court Friday. This ruling is a milestone to the AAP. Arrests and trials that took three years, five top leaders in the jail, a chief minister in jail all overturned by a court that discovered the evidence as unconvincing. Whether this will be the end of the case or the case will be taken to a superior court is yet to be determined.