Supreme Court Orders End to Illegal Detentions as Cockroach Janta Party Leaders Released in Delhi

An executive magistrate's court in New Delhi released Cockroach Janta Party founder Abhijeet Dipke and two other leaders on Sunday, October 11, 2026. Their release came with a condition that they avoid breaches of the peace for one year. The three had been detained on Saturday as their flight landed in the capital ahead of a planned protest.

The Supreme Court, hearing petitions over the detentions and security measures, directed authorities to ensure that people gathering peacefully are not detained illegally. Justice Joymalya Bagchi said detention must follow legal procedure. The court also told the Centre to keep the Delhi Metro running normally and to avoid disruption of internet services, subject to law-and-order needs.

The Cockroach Janta Party, a youth-led movement launched in May by Dipke, has demanded the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. The group and opposition parties accuse the Election Commission of removing legitimate voters during a nationwide Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls in a manner that could benefit the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party. The commission and the BJP deny the claims. Tens of millions of names have been removed in the exercise, which authorities describe as a routine clean-up of dead, duplicate and ineligible entries.

Thousands of protesters were detained on Saturday as security forces blocked access to the Jantar Mantar protest site. Reports put the number of detentions between several thousand and more than 15,000. Metro stations were closed, trains cancelled and internet restricted around the area. The CJP said its leaders were cut off from lawyers after detention.

After their release, CJP leaders said the agitation would continue nationwide until Kumar resigns. Co-convenor Saurav Das said the government had created an emergency-like situation. "The protests are on. Protests will happen not just in Delhi but the whole country," he said. The group has grown rapidly on social media since Dipke responded to a remark by Chief Justice Surya Kant comparing some young critics to cockroaches. Its Instagram following exceeds 25 million.

The movement previously forced the resignation of the education minister in July after protests over examination irregularities. This round focuses on the electoral rolls ahead of state elections. Opposition parties have joined calls for Kumar's removal. Congress leaders planned a march to the Supreme Court on October 12, though Chief Justice Surya Kant declined a request for a meeting with INDIA bloc leaders.

Delhi Police deployed tens of thousands of personnel. The Ministry of Home Affairs reviewed the security posture. India dismissed concerns from the UN Human Rights Office over mass detentions, calling the remarks unwarranted interference.

Dipke was released in time to attend his grandmother's funeral after family members said police had initially refused to let him go. CJP leaders have said they will not back down. The Supreme Court's directions on Sunday set limits on how authorities can respond to further gatherings. Whether those directions change the scale of detentions in the coming days, and whether the protests spread beyond Delhi as the group has pledged, will determine the next stage of the confrontation over the voter rolls.