Saurav Das is an independent investigative journalist based in New Delhi whose work focuses on law, governance, the judiciary, crime and transparency. He first came into public view through his use of the Right to Information (RTI) Act to investigate matters of public interest before expanding into investigative journalism, legal interventions and public advocacy.
Das gained wider public recognition as the chief spokesperson of the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), a student-led movement that highlighted concerns over competitive examinations, governance and accountability. As the face of the campaign, he represented the organisation during media interactions and was part of a delegation that met Union Health Minister JP Nadda during discussions linked to the protests.
A graduate in Journalism and Mass Communication from Amity University, Das developed an interest in investigative reporting during his college years. At the age of 18, he began filing RTI applications to seek information from public authorities, with several of his findings later receiving media attention. He started his professional writing career in 2020 and has contributed to publications including The Caravan, Article 14, Al Jazeera, The Wire, The Hindu and New Lines Magazine.
Das is also the co-founder of Climate Action Front, an initiative that works on climate-related issues. Alongside reporting, he has used legal avenues to pursue greater transparency and institutional accountability. During the Covid-19 pandemic, he approached a High Court over delays in information requests, stating that the intervention led the Central Information Commission to expedite appeals related to urgent pandemic information.
A helicopter flying from Badrinath crashed in Uttarakhand's Chamoli district, killing all six people on board, including the pilot. Joint search teams comprising the police, SDRF, and the Indian Army recovered the bodies and wreckage near a cliff amid inclement weather and poor visibility.
Cockroach Janata Party leaders Ashutosh Ranka, Saurav Das, and Ajinkya appeared before the Special Executive Magistrate Court following their release from Tihar Jail. The hearing focused on the verification process of their sureties after bail was granted in connection with an alleged breach of a peace bond and trespassing at Jantar Mantar. Emerging from the court, the leaders noted that proceedings went smoothly, with the court setting the next date of appearance. The leaders also face summons from the Delhi Police Crime Branch regarding ongoing investigations transferred from Connaught Place police station. Addressing media queries regarding their upcoming strategy, the leaders stated that all decisions would be taken collectively by the movement, while reaffirming their demand for the resignation of Gyanesh Kumar. Legal scrutiny continues for the party leaders as authorities examine their compliance with bail undertakings prohibiting participation in unlawful demonstrations.
We The Leaders chief and former BJP leader K. Annamalai has criticised the central government over the police crackdown on Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) protesters in Delhi, including the detention of Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka. Speaking on the action, Annamalai questioned the government's response, arguing that police control in the national capital does not align with constitutional values and pointing out past instances where questions were raised against the Centre during protests. In response, Bharatiya Janata Party leaders cited Annamalai's former Indian Police Service background and defended the measures, asserting that the central government remains responsible for maintaining public order and that only peaceful demonstrations are entitled to protection under the law.
Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) co-conveners Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka were released from Tihar Jail after the Special Executive Magistrate court accepted their personal bonds and sureties of 50,000 rupees each. The release follows five strict conditions, including an unconditional apology, written undertakings not to breach the peace, adhering strictly to the Constitution, and refraining from calling protests at Jantar Mantar while it remains denotified. However, their legal troubles deepened soon after release as the Delhi Police Crime Branch issued summons directing both leaders to record their statements at Rajouri Garden. The investigation pertains to charges under Section 223 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and an alleged trespassing case involving the de-notified Jantar Mantar site. While CJP chief Abhijit Dipke welcomed their release and raised slogans demanding the removal of the Chief Election Commissioner, the Bharatiya Janata Party maintained that the custody was solely linked to violating peace bond conditions rather than hoisting the national flag.
Kokro Janta Party co-convenor Saurabh Das and Ashutosh Sharanka have been released from Delhi's Tihar Jail following an order by the Special Executive Magistrate Court. Both leaders walked out of gate number four after spending seven days in custody following their detention by Delhi Police on 14 October. The leaders were detained for entering Jantar Mantar, which has been de-notified as a protest site. Upon their release, the leaders chanted Inquilab Zindabad, chose not to speak with the media, and stated they will announce their future course of action regarding their agitation against the Election Commission, EC Ganesh Kumar, and the SIR exercise.
A Special Executive Magistrate court in Delhi has ordered the release of Cockroach Janata Party co-conveners Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka after seven days in preventive detention at Tihar Jail.
A Delhi Special Executive Magistrate has ordered the release of CJP leaders Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka, who had been in custody since the October 14 Jantar Mantar protest. The order came hours after they withdrew their High Court challenge to the custody extension. But the larger question remains: Was keeping them in jail necessary to maintain public order, or was it a disproportionate response to a political protest? Where should the line be drawn between enforcing peace bonds and protecting the right to dissent?
A Special Executive Magistrate Court ordered the release of Cockroach Janta Party activists Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka following seven days in judicial custody. They were detained for breaching bond conditions after protesting in Jantar Mantar, an area that had been denotified. Their detention was extended after initial sureties were rejected. Meanwhile, the Delhi High Court raised questions regarding their activities, noting the shift from an initial student movement against the Chief Election Commissioner to a political push for regime change, remarking that regime change in India occurs through the ballot. The confrontation sparked sharp political exchanges, with Bharatiya Janata Party MP Sambit Patra accusing Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi of overseas consultations with George Soros-linked networks to trigger domestic instability. Patra labelled elements advocating regime change as adversaries of the nation, while citing upcoming agitations called by opposition parties and activists.
Both Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka have been granted bail, with the detailed order and specific conditions imposed by the authority currently awaited. Legal counsel present at the location are waiting for the formal stamped copy of the bail order being prepared inside. The advocates are expected to step out shortly to clarify the stipulations and conditions placed upon the accused.
A Delhi magistrate court has ordered the release of Cockroach Janta Party leaders Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka on bail after their judicial custody concluded. The Delhi Police had sought an extension of their judicial custody by three days, which was denied by the Special Executive Magistrate court following a hearing lasting over an hour and a half. The leaders spent approximately seven days in Tihar Jail following their detention for climbing gates and attempting to breach the de-notified protest venue at Jantar Mantar. Prior to the SEM court ruling, the leaders had approached the Delhi High Court seeking relief against their custody extension, where the court questioned their approach while proceedings were pending before the magistrate. Live visuals showed the CJP leaders being escorted out of court to complete final release formalities at Tihar Jail, while formal details regarding the specific conditions imposed on their bail remain awaited.
A special bench of the High Court raised questions regarding the custody, motives, and intentions behind the protest led by CGP leaders Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka. Pulling up both leaders over their ages of 31 and 27, the bench questioned their association with protests labelled as Gen Z. The court highlighted the breaking of barricades at a denotified site, breach of signed peace bonds, and repeated calls for regime change. Citing student protests across European countries like France and Italy that escalated into violence and arson, the court underscored the necessity of taking police into confidence to control potential unrest during agitations against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over the SIR issue. The leaders have now withdrawn their plea.
The Delhi High Court questioned Cockroach Janta Party members Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka over calls for regime change and the breach of peace bonds during a hearing regarding their judicial custody. The court observed that violent protests in Europe had escalated into arson and looting, questioning the petitioners' involvement and noting their departure from peaceful student demonstrations. The bench expressed disinclination to entertain the writ petition under Article 226 of the Constitution, emphasizing that alternate statutory appellate remedies were available before the district court and the Special Executive Magistrate. Following the bench's observations on maintainability and the procedural availability of legal remedies, legal counsel representing the petitioners chose to withdraw the petition. Additional Solicitor General Chetan Sharma, appearing on behalf of the Delhi Police, highlighted that the petitioners had not filed replies before the Special Executive Magistrate despite being granted time and argued regarding the validity of sureties. The court directed that factual matters regarding sureties and custody be addressed through statutory authorities.
The Delhi High Court heard arguments regarding the detention of activists Ashutosh Ranka and Saurav Das following their stir at Jantar Mantar. The bench questioned the petitioners for entering the site after it had been de-notified for protests, noting that breaking barricades poses serious law and order risks. The court cited instances in Europe where student demonstrations morphed into arson and looting, questioning why prior police nod was not obtained. It also raised queries regarding maintainability, asking why alternate remedies before the Special Executive Magistrate court and the district court were not pursued instead. Counsel for the petitioners argued that orders passed by the executive magistrate were arbitrary and pointed out that furnished sureties had been repeatedly rejected on frivolous grounds, infringing upon the right to personal liberty. Meanwhile, the Additional Solicitor General appearing for the police submitted that custody proceedings relate to production and the requirement of proper sureties, as the court deliberated on legal protections under preventive detention laws.
The Delhi High Court commenced a crucial hearing concerning a plea filed by Cockroach Janta Party leaders Ashutosh Ranka and Saurav Das challenging their judicial custody orders issued by the Special Executive Magistrate court. During the proceedings, the High Court questioned the leaders for entering Jantar Mantar and breaking barricades after the protest site was de-notified, noting that they had previously executed a peace bond. Drawing comparisons to European student demonstrations that deteriorated into arson and looting, the court observed that barricades and police permissions serve to maintain public order and prevent external elements from hijacking demonstrations. The bench led by Justice Subramanian Prasad raised queries regarding the maintainability of moving the High Court directly instead of awaiting the Special Executive Magistrate court's scheduled order or approaching the district court. Counsel for the leaders submitted that sureties had been presented and raised procedural issues regarding the preventive custody orders under the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita.
The legal fight over the continued detention of Cockroach Janta Party leaders Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka reached the Delhi High Court after an urgent night hearing request was declined. The party challenged the magistrate court's October 19 order that extended their judicial custody until October 21 and rejected their sureties. The magistrate noted that the duo deliberately breached peace bonds, showed disregard for the law, and posed a risk to public tranquility. Meanwhile, CJP founder Abhijit Dipke announced a pause on protests until Diwali, describing Das and Ranka as the party's primary decision-makers and refuting allegations of abandoning them.
A Delhi magistrate extended the judicial custody of Cockroach Janata Party co-conveners Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka till October 21 after rejecting the sureties submitted for their release. The court stated that the two leaders deliberately breached peace bonds and showed disrespect for the law, citing concerns over potential breaches of public peace. The case originates from an October 13 demonstration at Jantar Mantar, where CJP activists allegedly entered a de-notified protest area and raised slogans seeking the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. The matter has since been handed over to the Delhi Police Crime Branch. While the CJP alleged that the government is misusing state machinery to stifle dissent, the opposition rallied behind the detained leaders and sought Supreme Court intervention. Meanwhile, RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat remarked that protests in a democracy must focus on finding solutions rather than seeking regime change.
The trespassing case involving Cockroach Janata Party co-conveners Ashutosh Ranka and Saurav Das has been transferred to the Delhi Police Crime Branch. The leaders were arrested on October 13 for forcefully entering Jantar Mantar and raising slogans, following a complaint filed after they moved past a Janata Dal (United) office. A Delhi magistrate court extended their judicial custody by two days, citing a breach of peace bonds and concerns over potential disturbance of public order. The investigation was shifted from the New Delhi district police to the Crime Branch, a specialized unit tasked with probing deeper angles and potential conspiracy behind the unauthorized entry.
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.
A Special Executive Magistrate court in Delhi has extended the judicial custody of activists Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka by two days following their arrest for breaching a peace bond at Jantar Mantar. The two leaders had entered the site and unfurled the national tricolour on 13 October, leading to an initial five-day remand. Delhi Police had requested a five-day extension citing prior misconduct and the upcoming festive season, specifically Dussehra. However, the court granted two days of judicial custody, scheduling the next hearing for 21 October. The proceedings faced previous delays after the earlier magistrate recused himself citing death threats, while police pointed to procedural discrepancies in surety paperwork submitted by the defence. Defence counsels argued that all requisite documents were provided and contended that the prolonged custody constitutes an attempt to intimidate their clients, pointing out that others facing identical charges were earlier released.
