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Delhi's Executive Magistrate Court has ordered the release of CJP leaders Abhijit Dipke, Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka, its legal affairs head Ratna Singh told.

The three CJP leaders were put under preventive arrest and were produced before the Court of Special Executive Magistrate, South West District, Delhi Cantt police station.

They were detained by the Delhi Police from their flight yesterday immediately after landing in Delhi to protest against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.

“All three of them have been released. They can leave from here now," their counsel Advocate Soutik Banerjee said.

Charges invoked against the three CJP leaders are Section 126 (Security for keeping peace) and 170 (Arrest to prevent commission of cognizable offences) of Bhartiya Nyaya Suraksha Sanhita.

Section 126 BNSS empowers an Executive Magistrate to require a person likely to breach the peace or disturb public tranquillity to show cause and execute a bond (up to 1 year) for keeping the peace. It is a preventive measure.

Section 170 BNSS lets a police officer arrest without warrant anyone designing to commit a cognizable offence if it cannot otherwise be prevented. Custody is limited to 24 hours unless further detention is authorised under other law.

Nearly 2,500 protesters were detained across the capital on Saturday, as per the Delhi Police.

These were in addition to around 1,000 people picked up in preventive operations across the national capital overnight ahead of the protest day.

For context, the Supreme Court will hold a special sitting today to hear a petition against the indiscriminate detentions of leaders, former Chief Ministers, students, youths, journalists, lawyers, and others by the Delhi Police, against the rule of law and democratic dissent.

The Top Court will also be hearing a contempt petition challenging the blanket shutdown of public transport, rail and Metro services designed to deter protesters converging at the national capital.

Yesterday, a Delhi Court dismissed CJP legal affairs head Ratna Singh's plea seeking registration of FIR against policemen over her alleged illegal detention and also to immediately release her.

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