Cockroach Janta Party's legal head Ratna Singh questioned activist Abhijeet Dipke's arrest, calling it unlawful. She said he merely urged people to unfurl the national flag and alleged violations of due process and fundamental rights by Delhi Police.

Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) legal affairs head Ratna Singh, representing activist Abhijeet Dipke, on Saturday questioned the legality of his arrest and urged the Special Executive Magistrate (SEM) Court to release him, alleging violations of due process and fundamental rights.

In a post shared on X, Singh said Dipke had merely urged people to unfurl the national flag and questioned how the act could itself constitute a crime. "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?" she wrote.

CJP questions due process, fundamental rights

Raising concerns over the circumstances of his detention, Singh alleged that Dipke was picked up from outside his residence, his whereabouts were not disclosed, and his lawyers had been unable to meet him. "The manner in which he was picked up from right outside his residence, no information about his whereabouts, and the fact that even his lawyers have been unable to meet him raise serious concerns about due process and fundamental rights. How can such an apparent abuse of power be justified in a democracy governed by the rule of law? Delhi police cannot do unlawful act under the garb of preventive detention," she said.

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? The manner in which he was picked up from right outside his residence, no information about his whereabouts, and the fact that even his lawyers have been unable to meet him raise serious concerns about due process and fundamental rights. How can such an apparent abuse of power be justified in a democracy governed by the rule of law? Delhi police cannot do unlawful act under the garb of preventive detention. — Ratna Singh (@whattalawyer) October 17, 2026

Arrest ahead of 'Lehra Do Tiranga' rally

Earlier in the day, Singh had said that Dipke would be produced before the Special Executive Magistrate at Mandir Marg Police Station around noon on Saturday. "He will be produced before SEM Mandir Marg PS around 12PM," she said in an earlier post on X.

Delhi Police detained Dipke on Friday ahead of the planned 'Lehra Do Tiranga' rally at Central Park in Connaught Place. Police invoked prohibitory orders under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), which restrict public assembly in the area.

The detention came amid protests in central Delhi against the Election Commission over alleged irregularities in the electoral process. Delhi Police detained around 150 demonstrators during the protests and registered multiple FIRs over alleged violations of prohibitory orders, officials said.

According to police, a crowd gathered around Connaught Place despite repeated announcements asking people not to assemble. Officials also said action would be taken against repeat offenders.

Police subsequently took action against Dipke under Sections 126 and 170 of the BNSS in a fresh preventive case. The latest case is separate from an earlier preventive case in which he was detained on October 10 while travelling on a flight and required to execute a bond undertaking to maintain peace for one year.

Wider criticism over detentions

Meanwhile, Ajinkya Shinde, another key CJP member, in a post on X, said that Ashutosh Ranka and Saurav Das had been under illegal arrest for five days. "Day 5 of illegal arrest of Ashu and Saurav. Waving Tiranga is not a crime!" Shinde wrote.

Actor Prakash Raj also criticised the police action in a video posted on X, questioning the detention of young people for holding the national flag and referring to the government's 'Har Ghar Tiranga' campaign. "You yourself had said: 'Har Ghar Tiranga'. You only said, 'Har Ghar Tiranga' to show patriotism, to be a deshbhakt. Now the youth are holding the Tiranga, and you are arresting them, putting them into jail, detaining them, slapping cases on them... What is this confusion? Please have some clarity, because you said 'Har Ghar Tiranga'," Raj said.

Responding to allegations that the protests were aimed at bringing about regime change, Raj said political change should take place through democratic and constitutional means. "But in this country, how do you bring about a regime change? How do you do a regime change? Through the Constitution, democratically! This is the country of Gandhi--with non-violence, through protests, by voting you down," he said.

Raj also criticised the alleged use of force against young protesters and urged authorities to release those detained. "Don’t do all this nonsense of hitting and all. It’s not good for you. An advice, just asking," he said.

Protests against Election Commission

The protests come amid continued demonstrations by Opposition leaders, INDIA bloc parties and student organisations against the Election Commission's Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and its handling of the electoral process. (ANI)

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianet Newsable English staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)