New Delhi, October 21, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
The Delhi High Court on Wednesday questioned whether Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) leaders Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka could be described as Gen Z after being told that they are 27 and 32 years old, respectively, during the hearing of their plea challenging the extension of their judicial custody in the Jantar Mantar trespassing case.
Justice Subramonium Prasad made the observations while hearing advocate Abhik Chimni, who sought the activists’ release on personal bonds after a Special Executive Magistrate (SEM) rejected their sureties and extended their custody.
When Chimni disclosed their ages, the judge remarked, “Then you are not Gen Z. What is Gen Z?” After being informed that the term generally refers to people born after 1997, the court observed that the petitioners did not fall within that category.
The court also questioned how the nature and objectives of protests had evolved, noting that while students and young people had participated in earlier demonstrations, the cause being pursued in the present instance was different.
Justice Prasad further questioned the association of those organising demonstrations and their purpose, observing that such factors could assume significance while assessing any apprehension of breach of peace and public tranquillity.
The judge, however, said the immediate issue before the court was the insistence on furnishing bonds. Chimni challenged the rejection of the sureties and sought the activists’ release on personal bonds.
The court questioned whether the SEM’s order rejecting the sureties could be challenged through a writ petition under Article 226 when an alternative remedy of statutory revision was available. It also referred to the alleged breach of earlier bonds and the activists’ presence at Jantar Mantar despite its denotification as a protest venue.
As the matter before the SEM was scheduled for 2 p.m., the judge suggested that the plea be withdrawn and the petitioners await the outcome of those proceedings. Chimni subsequently informed the court that the petitioners wished to withdraw the plea.
The High Court allowed the withdrawal and disposed of the petition without expressing any opinion on its merits, leaving all contentions open.
Das and Ranka, along with CJP member Ajinkya Shinde, were among 14 people detained on October 13 after allegedly entering Jantar Mantar through private premises and obstructing police personnel. They were protesting alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and had raised slogans against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
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