Delhi High Court pulls up govt, asks for status of toolkit case probe

The ‘toolkit’ had come under police scanner after Swedish environmental activist Greta Thunberg tweeted it on February 3, 2021. The police claimed the sequence of events in the farmers’ protests, including the violent incidents at Red Fort on Republic Day, was a “copycat” of the alleged action plan in the document.

The bench asked the Centre’s counsel about the government’s stand on the investigation and also if anything survived as much time had lapsed. When the counsel said there were no instructions, Justice Singh, expressing dismay, observed: “What is this? You can’t come to court without instructions. This is an important matter”.

Listing the matter for hearing on September 4, Justice Singh directed: “Let the Union of India file a status report as to the status of investigation and the current position of the same. File the status report atleast two weeks before the next date of hearing.”

Appearing for Ravi, senior advocate Akhil Sibal drew the court’s attention to the fact that FIR was filed on February 4, 2020; since then no chargesheet had been filed and his client is out on bail.

Sibal said the matter has to be heard finally as it raised important questions of public importance. “One of the issues is that during the course of investigation you have collected private data…media starts reporting, they cite police sources including what is being asked to the person during custodial investigation and what answers are given. When you put it to the police they say we haven’t said this officially,” Sibal said.

Ravi was arrested by the Delhi Police on February 13, 2021. She was granted bail by a trial court ten days later, on February 23.