India court orders release of 'Cockroach' movement leaders

An Indian court has ordered the release of three leaders of the youth-led protest movement, the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), after they were detained ahead of a large protest in Delhi. The leaders, Abhijeet Dipke, Saurav Das, and Ashutosh Ranka, were detained on Saturday and appeared in court on Sunday after being in detention for nearly 24 hours. The CJP had alleged that the leaders were being detained at an undisclosed location and did not have access to their lawyers.

The court was scheduled to hear petitions challenging the detentions of thousands of protesters, including the CJP leaders and political leaders from India's opposition parties. An executive court in Delhi has ordered the release of the CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke and other leaders, the youth-led movement said on Sunday.

The CJP had issued a fresh call for a march to New Delhi's Jantar Mantar on Sunday, despite the detentions. "We're not backing down! We will march to Jantar Mantar again tomorrow," Ajinkya Shinde, the CJP's interim protest leader, said at a press conference.

The detentions and the court's order have sparked fresh protests, with the CJP calling for a march to Jantar Mantar on Sunday. The exact number of demonstrators detained during the protest could not be immediately verified.