Toolkit case: Delhi court extends interim protection from arrest till March 15 to Muluk, Jacob

A Delhi court on Tuesday extended the interim protection from arrest to Shantanu Muluk and Nikita Jacob till March 15 in the 'toolkit' document case related to the farmers' protest.

Additional Sessions Judge in the Patiala House court Dharmender Rana also directed the Delhi Police not to take coercive action against both the accused till March 15, the next date fixed for hearing.

Meanwhile, the Delhi Police filed the reply on the anticipatory bail plea of Muluk and Jacob.

During the hearing, Muluk's defence counsel Vrinda Grover sought an adjournment in the case on the ground that she needs time to go through the document filed by the Delhi Police.

Jacob's defence lawyer and senior counsel Rebecca John and Grover further urged the court to extend the interim protection from arrest to their client.

Muluk and Jacob are having interim protection granted by the Bombay High Court.

A Non Bailable Warrant was issued against Muluk by a Delhi court and thereafter, he had moved to the Bombay High Court for transit bail and the same was granted to him on February 16.

After being granted the transit bail, Shantanu had reached Delhi on February 19 and upon receiving summons on the same day, joined the investigation on February 22. He has cooperated with the investigation and has handed over all his devices, namely, laptop, iPad, and phone to the police, although no seizure memo was prepared, Muluk said in his bail plea.

Muluk also submitted that he would abide by every condition imposed by the court.

The bail application also said that Muluk is not a political person and he has no religious or political goals apart from exhibiting sympathy for farmers. The applicant believes in peaceful protest and condemns any and all violence whatsoever. He has been concerned about the environment and that is the only reason he has been working with the extinction rebellion movement, stated his bail application.

The applicant got to know that some 'toolkit' has been shared with Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg only after he was informed about the same by others, the bail petition said.

Muluk is a suspect in the ongoing 'toolkit' document case related to the farmers' protest.

Muluk had joined co-accused 21-year-old "climate activist" Disha Ravi at the Delhi Police Cyber Cell office in the national capital for further probe in the ongoing case.

A Delhi court had earlier granted bail to Disha Ravi.

The 21-year-old activist was arrested from Bengaluru in connection with the formulation and dissemination of the 'toolkit' document, in the ongoing farmers' protest. She was one of the editors of the 'toolkit' document.

On February 3, Thunberg had shared this 'toolkit' in a tweet, which she later deleted. She had also extended support to the protest by farmer unions on the borders of Delhi against the new farm laws.

Farmers have been protesting on different borders of the national capital since November 26 last year against the three newly enacted farm laws - Farmers' Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2020; the Farmers Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and farm Services Act 2020 and the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act, 2020.

The implementation of the three laws was, in January, put on hold by the Supreme Court.

( With inputs from ANI )