Engineer-turned-activist Shantanu Muluk and lawyer Nikita Jacob got protection from arrest till March 15 in connection with the document on farmers’ protests shared by environmental activist Greta Thunberg. Additional Sessions Judge Dharmender Rana adjourned the matter at the request of the defence counsels. Advocate Rebecca John appeared for Jacob, while Vrinda Grover represented Muluk in the case. Special Prosecutor Irfan Ahmed appeared for the State.
"My protection ends today; my protection kindly be extended. I have to go through the reply filed by the police," advocate Vrinda Grover requested the court. The matter will now be heard on March 15 at 2 pm.
Climate activist Disha Ravi, Muluk and Jacob are facing charges of conspiracy and sedition in the case related to the farmers' protest. The police have said that that the Google document, also called a 'toolkit,' was a sinister design to defame India and cause violence. It must be noted that a ‘toolkit’ is nothing but a Google or Word document that are often used and shared for organising social media campaigns and protests. Information that’s commonly featured on such documents includes suggestions for tweets, hashtags, tagging on social media etc. Political parties, groups and individuals often use these kinds of documents for social media campaigns.
The Delhi Police have contended that the Google document tweeted by Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg to back the farmers' protest and then deleted, was created by the Disha Ravi, Nikita Jacob and Shantanu Muluk.
Fearing arrest, Muluk and Jacob had moved the court seeking the pre-arrest bail on February 23 and March 1, respectively. The court had then granted them protection from arrest till March and directed the police not to take any coercive action.
On February 16, the Bombay High Court had granted 10 days transit remand to Muluk to allow him to approach the competent court in Delhi for a pre-arrest bail, and a day later, allowed three-weeks transit remand to Jacob in the case.
On February 23, the court had granted regular bail to Disha Ravi. The judge allowed the bail considering the "scanty and sketchy evidence on record."
In the bail plea, Muluk has asserted that he merely created the document with information on the agitation, which was then edited by others without his knowledge.
(With agency inputs)