Abhijeet Dipke gets conditional bail after arrest over Connaught Place rally

New Delhi: Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) founder and convenor Abhijeet Dipke was granted conditional bail by a Delhi court on Saturday following his arrest in connection with the party’s ‘Lehra Do Tiranga’ rally at Central Park in Connaught Place.

According to the Delhi Police, Dipke was granted bail by the Special Executive Magistrate court after signing a peace bond.

CJP founder Dipke and party leaders Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka had signed similar bonds when they were released following their detention ahead of the October 10 protest.

CJP’s head of legal affairs, Ratna Singh, confirmed Dipke’s release.

In a post on X, she said, “Abhijeet Dipke released.”

Earlier on Saturday, Singh had complained about delays in court proceedings.

“The hearing was supposed to happen at 12 p.m. It’s 3:38 p.m. and no sign of it. If this isn’t deliberate then what is? Release Saurav Das, Ashutosh Ranka and Abhijeet Dipke along with other detainees. You can’t take away people’s liberty by delaying the entire process,” she said in an earlier post on X.

Dipke was detained on Friday while on his way to join the protest rally in Connaught Place and was later arrested.

All India Students’ Association (AISA) president Neha Bora was also detained near Mandi House as police tightened security across central Delhi. She was released shortly after her detention.

The CJP had called for a ‘Tiranga Assembly’ at Central Park in Connaught Place at 5 p.m. on Friday. However, the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) denied permission for the event.

Ahead of the proposed rally, the Delhi Police had served Dipke two notices, informing him that Connaught Place was not a notified protest site and that the NDMC had not granted permission for the proposed Tiranga Yatra.

According to officials, one of the notices was issued on behalf of the New Delhi district authorities under the Delhi Police Act. It instructed people not to visit Central Park, as Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) was in force.

A second notice was issued to Dipke by the South West Delhi authorities, reminding him that he, along with CJP co-convenors Ashutosh Ranka and Saurav Das, had previously been ‘bound down’ — placed under a legal undertaking — following their preventive detention at the airport and subsequent production before a court.

This followed a court directive requiring them to refrain from causing any public disturbance for one year.