Delhi Court Remands Disha Ravi To One Day Police Custody In 'Toolkit' Case
A Delhi Court on Monday remanded 22-year old climate activist Disha Ravi to one-day fresh police custody in relation to the toolkit FIR. She was produced today before the Patiala House Court Magistrate on the expiry of her 3-day judicial custody. The police had got 5-day custody of Ravi earlier, on February 14, after her arrest on February 13 from Bangalore.Additional Chief Metropolitan...
A Delhi Court on Monday remanded 22-year old climate activist Disha Ravi to one-day fresh police custody in relation to the toolkit FIR. She was produced today before the Patiala House Court Magistrate on the expiry of her 3-day judicial custody. The police had got 5-day custody of Ravi earlier, on February 14, after her arrest on February 13 from Bangalore.
Additional Chief Metropolitan Chief Magistrate Pankaj Sharma of Patiala House Courts passed the order.
The Additional Sessions Court is set to pronounce orders on Disha Ravi's bail application tomorrow.
Seeking 5 days police custody, the Additional Public Prosecutor submitted that there was a need to confront Disha Ravi with the co-accused Nikita Jacob and Shantanu Muluk. The APP further submitted that Disha created the 'toolkit' in association with groups having Khalistani links.
Advocate Siddharth Agarwal, appearing for Ravi, opposed the demand for 5-day police custody by pointing out that they had 5-day police custody in the beginning, which was followed by 3-day judicial custody as per their demand.
Agarwal argued that the further grant of police custody will impact the bail order, which is expected tomorrow. He submitted that the new remand application raises more or less the same points raised in the first remand application.
"This is an attempt to overreach my bail application", Agarwal submitted.
The police told the court that they filed the new remand application because new accused are to be questioned soon.
"We have not asked for unnecessary remand after expiry of 5 days. We feel it today since the other co accused are here. It is not a petty case. It has transnational ramifications. This is why the new application is filed today so that we can facilitate the investigation", police said.
The APP asked why the police remand is seen as a punishment, when it can be favourable to the accused, as she might be able to shift the blame to the co-accused.
"I want to know, why is police custody remand is seen as a punishment? Why the accused is seeing as if something wrong will come against her in police custody remand?", the APP submitted.
On February 19, the ACMM had remanded her to three days judicial custody. On the next day, Additional Sessions Judge Dharmender Rana of Patiala House Courts reserved orders on her bail application for February 23.
She was arrested from her Bangalore residence on February 13 by the Delhi police in a case registered over the "toolkit" shared by international activist Greta Thunberg related to the farmer's protest on social media.
The Bombay High Court has granted three-weeks transit anticipatory bail to co-accused Advocate Nikita Jacob in the case.
The Cyber Cell of the Delhi Police had lodged an FIR on February 4 against unnamed persons over the 'toolkit' shared in connection with coordination of farmers protests. The case against unnamed persons was registered on charges of criminal conspiracy, sedition and various other sections of the Indian Penal Code, the police said. Ravi's was the first arrest made by the police in the case.
Ravi has filed a writ petition in the Delhi High Court aggrieved by the media reportage about her. On Friday, a bench of Justice Prathiba M Singh observed that media should exercise editorial discretion to avoid sensationalism which could hamper the investigation in the case. The bench also directed the Delhi Police to ensure that no media leakage happens in compliance with the stand taken by it in its affidavit.