Jantar Mantar protest site row: Who is Abhisht Hela? Delhi Advocate representing Saurav Das of CJP, Ashutosh Ranka. Today’s news
Advocate Abhisht Hela came into limelight after he represented Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) leaders who were detained during a standoff with the Delhi Police over access to Jantar Mantar after protest status was revoked at the site.
Hela represented CJP leader Ashutoshand Ajinkya Shinde in the court proceedings. While Das and Ranka were sent to five-day judicial custody by the Special Executive Magistrate (SEM) on Wednesday, October 14, Shinde was released on personal remand.
Who is Abhisht Hela?
Abhisht Hela is an advocate practicing in Delhi. He is the founder of Hela & Associates Law Chambers.
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Abhisht Hela is an advocate and founder of Hela & Associates Law Chambers based in Delhi. He practices primarily in the High Court of Delhi, the Supreme Court of India and the District Courts.
Hela represented CJP leaders Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka in the proceedings following their detention. He also provided legal assistance in the proceedings involving Ajinkya Shinde, who was released on personal remand.
Hela challenged the special executive judge’s authority to take Das and Ranko into judicial custody. He also questioned the reasons given by the Delhi Police, including the allegation that the leaders had breached their bonds.
The Delhi Police detained the leaders after they allegedly tried to trespass inside the Jantar Mantar, a day after the protest status was lifted at the site. Police also claimed it was a misdemeanor and a breach of the peace bond.
Hela received her BA LL.B. (Hons.) from Dr. Ram Manohar Lohiya National Law University in Lucknow. His practice includes public and constitutional law, criminal defense, civil litigation and corporate arbitration.
He completed his school education under the ICSE and ISC boards and then continued his undergraduate studies at the National Law University Dr. Ram Manohar Lohiya (RMLNLU) in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, where he received his BA LL.B. (Hons.) according to his LinkedIn profile.
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Throughout his studies at the university, he was actively involved in practical legal education, participating in various internships and moot court competitions.
Hela is an experienced lawyer practicing primarily in Delhi High Court, Supreme Court of India and various District Courts. His legal expertise spans more than ten years and focuses primarily on public and constitutional law, criminal defense, civil litigation and corporate arbitration.
What did Abhisht Hela say about the detention of CJP leaders?
Hela questioned the special executive judge’s authority to remand the two CJP leaders to judicial custody and questioned the reasons given by the Delhi Police for their detention.
“They were sent to 5-day judicial custody due to the police’s belief that they may have committed an offence. The police lied in court that they had called people to come there. They did not call. They did not violate the remand. Here a separate complaint at Connaught Place was misused and they were sent to 5-day judicial custody,” ANI reported.
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The lawyer said the Delhi Police claimed the activists had violated the terms of their bonds and could repeat the alleged crime. According to him, the police also referred to Section 163 and other statutory provisions when requesting custody. Hela questioned why a separate complaint registered at Connaught Place was taken up in the proceedings.
Explaining the legal dispute, Hela said his team had challenged the SEM’s jurisdiction to issue such orders, arguing that the powers to remand and other serious judicial measures rested with magistrates of the first or second class rather than a special executive judge.
“Our argument was primarily that we challenged their authority. We challenged the authority and said that the powers to do all these things like JC or death penalty, those powers are vested in the Judicial Magistrate First Class, Magistrate First Class or Magistrate Second Class. The SCM is not an SC judge, a first or second class judge,” the lawyer said.
He further claimed that the pre-trial detention provisions were being used to suppress dissent and said that his team cited several court judgments before the authorities to support their arguments.
Why were the CJP activists detained?
Delhi Police detained CJP activists on Tuesday after they allegedly trespassed into Jantar Mantar while trying to gain access to the protest site. The action came a day after authorities revoked the site’s designated protest status.
CJP Director of Legal Affairs Ratna Singh had earlier claimed that the detained activists were denied access to their lawyers for several hours and were initially not informed of the reasons for their detention. She also said they would likely be brought before the appropriate judge.
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Singh thanked Hela and his team along with advocates Pushp Sharma and Abhijaat Bharadwaj for their legal assistance in securing the release of Ajinkya Shinde and 11 other volunteers detained by the Delhi Police.
What is the CJP protesting against?
The development comes amid the ongoing agitation by the CJP and opposition parties against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
The party demanded the resignation of the Central Committee with alleged irregularities in the revision of the voter list.
