Two young men from Jharkhand were killed after their Yamaha R15 motorcycle crashed into a tree on the outskirts of Hyderabad. The fatal accident was captured on CCTV footage.
A Special Executive Magistrate court in Delhi has extended the judicial custody of Cockroach Janta Party activists Ashutosh Ranka and Saurav Das by two days. The two leaders were originally detained by Delhi Police on 13 October for allegedly breaching a peace bond after entering Jantar Mantar and unfurling the national tricolour. While Delhi Police sought a five-day extension citing concerns over public order during the festival season, the magistrate granted custody till 21 October. The previous magistrate had recused himself from the proceedings after reporting death threats. Legal representatives for the activists questioned the extension, arguing that the duo was placed under preventive detention without an FIR and pointing out that sureties were repeatedly rejected on arbitrary grounds. The defence team confirmed plans to challenge the order before a higher court, terming the detention an attempt to suppress peaceful dissent.
Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar) national spokesperson Anish Gawande criticised the extension of judicial custody for Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka, calling the court decision "an unjust order" driven by petty politics. Speaking on the detention of the two youth associated with the CJP, Gawande questioned keeping them detained for waving the national flag after already spending five days in Tihar Jail. He stated that the young demonstrators would continue to resist peacefully following Mahatma Gandhi's path. Meanwhile, legal correspondent Anisha noted the inexplicable nature of extending preventive detention under Section 130 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita without an FIR. Citing an Allahabad High Court judgment, she highlighted that magistrates cannot mechanically issue detention orders without evaluating facts or specific police justifications, as lawyers prepare to challenge the preventive detention in the Delhi High Court.
The legal representatives of Cockroach Janta Party addressed the media after appearing before a Special Executive Magistrate court regarding the continued preventive detention of party members, including Saurabh. The defence counsel stated that the state filed a fresh plea seeking five to seven days of further judicial custody citing an imminent threat to public order and tranquility, without placing any substantive material on record to demonstrate genuine apprehension. Counsel highlighted that there is no First Information Report registered against the individuals and criticised the court for rejecting sureties on grounds such as photographs not matching due to shorter hair. Party legal representative Ratna questioned the court's conduct, stating the proceedings resembled a circus and calling for an inquiry into the handling of personal liberty. The defence announced that the order extending judicial custody would be legally challenged before a higher court, terming the preventive detention an unwarranted curb on youngsters' voices.
