Disha Ravi bail plea: Court reserves order till Tuesday; police assert 'Khalistani' link

Amid the ongoing 'Toolkit' probe by the Delhi police, Patiala House court on Saturday reserved its order on climate activist Disha Ravi's bail plea till Tuesday. The 21-year-old Bengaluru activist who was arrested by Delhi police in connection to the Toolkit document which allegedly led to the Republic Day violence, as claimed by Delhi police, is currently in judicial custody till Monday. The court will continue hearing her plea on Tuesday.

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Arguments in court

Arguing for Centre, Additional Solicitor General SV Raju briefed the Court about pro-Khalistani Vancouver-based group Poetic Justice Foundation (PFJ) and its involvement in creating the 'Toolkit'. Alleging a link between Disha Ravi, co-accused Nikita Jacob, Shantanu Muluk and PFJ founders - Mo Dhaliwal and Anita Lal, Centre stated that the Muluk had been in Delhi on January 26 to ensure the plan proceeded as per the 'Toolkit'. When asked by the judge if there was a direct link between the accused and the people who actually perpetrated the violence, Centre said 'It is under investigation.

Stating that the 'Toolkit' aimed at 'defaming India', Centre argued, "The document got leaked on social media and then they deleted many parts. If there was nothing wrong, they wouldn't have deleted parts of the Toolkit, WhatsApp chats, etc. This prima face indicates a guilty mind and a link to Vancouver which is a hotbed of Khalistani activity. This reveals that it is a design to defame India." He added that all three accused have been in constant touch with Lal and Dhaliwal.  

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Countering the Centre, Advocate Siddharth Agarwal appearing for Disha Ravi argued that Ravi had no links with PFJ - which is not a banned organisation - or SFJ. Asserting that Ravi was guilty only of 'protesting peacefully', he said that Ravi was 'merely seeking a balance between my right to liberty and their right to investigate'. 

He added, "Toolkit merely tells people to come forward, join the march and go back home. If my inputs to Greta Thunberg have to be looked into, then kindly consider that her tweet is only for the farmers' protest, not for anything else".

Amid the arguments, Additional sessions Judge Dharmendar Rana questioned if PFJ had been named in any FIR, what was the link between the 'Toolkit' and the January 26, noting that there was no 'direct link' between the accused and those who created the violence, as of date. He then reserved the order for February 23 - Monday. Two other activists - Nikita Jacob and Shantanu Muluk against whom Non-bailable warrants have been issued have got pre-arrest bail.

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Disha Ravi arrested

Delhi police's special cell arrested 21-year-old climate activist Disha Ravi for allegedly disseminating the 'toolkit' related to farmers' protests on social media- the same one shared by climate activist Greta Thunberg in Bengaluru on Sunday. Arguing for the Delhi Police, the public prosecutor alleged a large conspiracy against the government of India to rebuild the Khalistan group via the toolkit and claimed that there were thousands of people involved in it. In her defence, Disha Ravi claimed that she had edited just two lines of the toolkit and said that she was influenced by the farmers' protests and thereby extended her support to them. Amid allegations of discrepancies in her arrest, Delhi court has allowed Ravi access to her lawyer and meet her family in custody.

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