Mumbai Police files FIR against Cockroach Janta Party protest organisers

An FIR has been lodged against organisers of the 'Cockroach Janta Party' (CJP) and 400-500 supporters for holding a protest at Mumbai's Shivaji Park despite being denied permission by the police, citing a violation of a High Court order.

Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) founder Abhijit Dipke, along with Chief Spokesperson Saurav Das (unseen), National Spokesperson Ashutosh Ranka and others (File Photo/ANI)

An FIR has been registered at the Shivaji Park Police Station against the protest organisers of CJP and 400 to 500 unknown supporters and agitators of the "Cockroach Janta Party" (CJP), Mumbai Police said. The case has been filed under sections 189 and 223 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), read with sections 37(1)(3) and 135 of the Maharashtra Police (MP) Act.

The development comes after activists of the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) and other civil society organisations staged a protest at Mumbai's Shivaji Park on Friday against the Election Commission and alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise.

Advocate Lodges Complaint Citing 'Defiance of Law'

Earlier on Friday, Siddhi Deolekar, a resident and advocate, said she lodged a complaint at Shivaji Park Police Station against Cockroach Janata Party activists Abhijeet Dipke, Ashutosh Ranka, Saurav Das, and Ratna Singh for allegedly proceeding with the Shivaji Park protest despite denial of permission.

In a post on X, Deolekar said the complaint was filed against CJP leaders Dipke, Ranka, Das and Ratna Singh, the legal affairs head of the Cockroach Janata Party, and others for allegedly proceeding with the protest and gathering a large crowd despite an express denial of permission. "As a responsible Shivaji Park citizen, I have lodged a complaint against @abhijeet_dipke, @AshutoshRanka, @Saurav Dassss and @whattalawyer at Shivaji Park Police Station for allegedly attempting to proceed with the Shivaji Park Protest and gathering a huge crowd despite express denial of permission and the restrictions flowing from the Hon'ble Bombay High Court's judgment in PIL 116/2009 dated 04.01.2013 and the subsequent Maharashtra Government order," she said.

She also referred to restrictions arising from the Bombay High Court's judgment in PIL 116/2009 dated January 4, 2013, and a subsequent Maharashtra government order. "This is not 'peaceful protest'. This is an attempt to defy the law under the cover of a political protest," Deolekar said.

She alleged that those claiming to fight for the Constitution were challenging the authority of the Bombay High Court. She further said that if this conduct is allowed, tomorrow anyone can violate a court-backed restriction, call it a "peaceful activity", and expect the law to look away.

"No ideology, no political campaign and no individual is above the Constitution. No one is above the law. This Protest is an Insult to the Hon'ble High Court of Bombay," she said. (ANI)

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