Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) founder Abhijeet Dipke on Monday drew a comparison between the Allahabad High Court’s decision to stay the conviction and life sentence of a murder accused seeking to contest elections and the continued detention of CJP co-convenors Ashutosh Ranka and Saurav Das, according to reports.
Ranka and Das were remanded to judicial custody for another two days on Monday. On Sunday, the special executive magistrate presiding over their bail proceedings alleged that unidentified individuals had threatened him. The CJP demanded their immediate release and accountability from the institutions concerned, adding that it would challenge the order before higher judicial forums. Dipke posted screenshots of two news reports on X. Police subsequently registered a non-cognisable report in connection with the complaint. The judicial custody of Ranka and Das has now been extended by two days.
The first carried the headline, “Allahabad High Court suspends conviction of murder convict who wishes to contest election on BJP ticket,” while the second reported that the judicial custody of Ranka and Das had been extended.
The court observed that the right to livelihood of an ordinary citizen was as important as a politician’s right to contest elections. It held that the conviction and sentence warranted suspension to enable Rai to sustain himself until a final decision was delivered on his appeal. Along with other CJP activists, they displayed the national flag and raised slogans against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar before being detained.
The Allahabad High Court suspended the conviction and life sentence of Nandlal Rai, also known as Babloo Rai, who was convicted in 2025 in connection with a 2017 murder case, according to the report shared by Dipke. Rai has expressed his intention to contest the 2027 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections, either as an independent candidate or, if possible, on a BJP ticket. Ranka and Das were initially remanded to five days of judicial custody on October 13 after allegedly scaling a locked gate to enter Jantar Mantar, days after the site was withdrawn from the list of designated protest venues.
His appeal challenging the conviction is currently pending before the court.
