New Delhi: Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra on Tuesday, October 20, publicly named ACP Mahesh Kumar Meena in the custody row over Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) leaders Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka, alleging that Delhi Police unlawfully detained the two and then used its own officer, acting as a Special Executive Magistrate (SEM), to sanction their continued detention, Nation Press reported. Moitra demanded the ACP be named publicly, writing, in the report's account: 'Please name this ACP so we can ensure we never forget.' The allegation is Moitra's claim and has not been established by a court.

Court reporting supports the procedural facts behind the row. The Daily Jagran, citing PTI, reported that a hearing before SEM ACP Mahesh Kumar Meena on Sunday passed no order on the duo's release, that the hearing began around 5:30 pm instead of noon, and that it discussed alleged threats received by the SEM, with Delhi Police registering a non-cognisable report over the SEM's complaint. LawChakra's account of the October 19 proceedings said Meena, as the newly appointed SEM, held the sureties offered to be unfit, directed fresh sureties, and ordered Das and Ranka to be produced on October 21 at 2 pm.

Das and Ranka were arrested on October 13 after entering Jantar Mantar — a day after it was de-notified as a designated protest site — and were remanded to judicial custody, according to The Daily Jagran and LawChakra. Their custody was later extended, and their legal team has moved the Delhi High Court challenging the extension and alleging a violation of liberty; the High Court has expressed no view on the merits, LawChakra noted. The police allegations and the petitioners' grounds are both untested.

Sources: Nation Press, The Daily Jagran (PTI), LawChakra.