In a special late-evening hearing on Sunday, the Bombay High Court directed Goa Police to immediately release six Cockroach Janta Party activists who were detained earlier in the day during a demonstration in Panaji demanding the resignation of the Chief Election Commissioner.
A division bench comprising Justice Valmiki Menezes and Justice Amit Jamsandekar convened between 7:30 p.m. and 8:45 p.m., with court staff in attendance, to take up an urgent habeas corpus petition filed by advocate Melisa Simoes. The public prosecutor, appearing virtually, gave an explicit assurance that all six detainees would be released without delay. The high court scheduled the case for further consideration on Monday.
Court Directives And Medical Assessment
Representing the petitioners, advocate Norma Alvares submitted an undertaking confirming that the activists would neither demonstrate nor return to Azad Maidan on Sunday night, clarifying that the pledge was restricted to that evening pending Monday’s proceedings.
The division bench instructed the inspectors in charge of both the Panaji and Pernem police stations to submit affidavits setting out the reasons for the detentions and explaining why a peaceful demonstration was disallowed. The judges further noted that the six individuals could be examined at the Goa Medical College and Hospital should they choose, following reports that two of the activists sustained injuries during their detention.
Allegations Of Custody Transfer And Seizures
The individuals taken into custody included hotelier Jack Sukhija and activists Amreen Shaikh, Aditya Parulekar, and Bhupesh Bin, along with two others.
Speaking following his release, Sukhija stated that police detained them during a non-violent demonstration in disregard of Supreme Court rulings protecting peaceful protest. He said the group was initially picked up in Panaji, transferred to Pernem police station, had their mobile phones confiscated, and was denied permission to contact anyone while in custody.
Permit Denial And Disruption At Azad Maidan
The demonstration had been organized to seek the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. According to Alvares, the Cockroach Janta Party had submitted a formal request to the district administration on October 7 to gather at Azad Maidan, but the administration formally denied permission on October 9.
Earlier on Sunday, law enforcement initiated detentions before the planned gathering could start, intercepting dozens of demonstrators as they arrived at the venue. Authorities blocked participants from entering Azad Maidan, including former Allahabad High Court Chief Justice Ferdin Rebello, forcing crowds onto the adjacent road and prompting a demonstration outside the Goa Police headquarters.
Rebello questioned the restrictions, asserting that entering Azad Maidan was not an offence and observing that while earlier generations fought for Goa’s liberation, the current demonstration was directed against the misuse of authority by the Election Commission.
