A Delhi court on Monday sent climate activist Disha Ravi to one-day police custody in connection with the Greta Thunberg toolkit case, during which she would be confronted with co-accused Nikita Jacob and Shantanu Muluk.
Ravi faces charges of conspiracy and sedition in the toolkit case related to the farmers’ agitation and was arrested from Bengaluru on 13 February.
After her arrest, Ravi was first sent to five days’ police custody, followed by three days of judicial custody.
The climate activist was produced before Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Pankaj Sharma of the Patiala House Court at the end of her three-day judicial custody, amid high security.
The police sought five days’ remand of Ravi to confront her with co-accused Jacob and Muluk. “She has shifted the burden to other accused. I have to confront her with them,” the prosecutor told the court.
Jacob and Muluk joined the investigation at Delhi Police’s Cyber Cell office in Dwarka, earlier on Monday. They were issued a notice to join the probe last week.
Advocate Siddharth Agarwal, representing the accused, told the court that her police custody is not required and that she can be confronted with the duo while being in jail.
“These days, investigation is through virtual conference links also. It is not the law that police custody can be granted on asking. Remand ought to be granted on real necessity,” he told the court.
The prosecutor argued that there is no set formula for grant of bail and each case has to be seen on its own merit. “Police custody is not punishment. Fourteen days’ custody is our right. This may be advantageous to her.
She’s shifting blame.”
The police further said that it is a transnational and complex case. “Our endeavour is to finish the investigation as soon as possible,” the court was told.
Delhi Police contended that the Google document tweeted by Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg to back the farmers’ protest and then deleted, was created by Ravi, Jacob and Muluk.
The ‘toolkit’ is a series of guidelines suggesting how a particular aim can be achieved. Toolkits chart out plans of action explaining topics at hand and offer suggestions that could be followed to achieve particular goals.
Notably, the order on Ravi’s bail application will be pronounced on Tuesday. During the three-hour-long bail hearing on 20 February, the police said that the ‘toolkit’ was a sinister design to defame India and cause violence.
“Poetic Justice Foundation and Sikhs For Justice, in order to hide their involvement, used Disha Ravi as a front to carry out nefarious activity,” ASG S.V. Raju told the court, adding that these organisations are connected to the Khalistan movement.
Delhi Police further told the court that Ravi covered her tracks and deleted evidence like contents of the Toolkit and a WhatsApp group, which the public prosecutor emphasised shows her “guilty mind”.
Responding to the allegations, the climate activist’s counsel Siddharth Agarwal told the Delhi court that “if highlighting farmers’ protest globally is sedition, she is better in jail.” He further claimed that there is no evidence linking the toolkit to the violence during the farmers’ march on 26 January. He also questioned the contents of the FIR.
“We all have different opinions. You may have a problem with farmers’ protest, I may not. If highlighting protest globally is sedition, I (Ravi) am better in jail. I (defence counsel) also support farmers. But if that’s an offence, let’s all go to jail,” Agarwal added.