This is an archive article published on February 16, 2021

Greta Thunberg toolkit case: Bombay HC reserves order on Nikita Jacob’s transit bail plea

On Monday, the Delhi Police had issued non-bailable warrants against Nikita Jacob and her associate Shantanu in connection with the Greta Thunberg 'toolkit' case.

Nikita Jacob moves court for anticipatory bail in toolkit case

Lawyer Nikita Jacob is accused along with Bengaluru activist Disha Ravi for their alleged involvement in sharing a “toolkit” related to the farmers’ protest on social media. (Source: Twitter/@nikitajacob)

By: Express Web Desk

3 min readNew DelhiFeb 16, 2021 06:43 PM IST First published on: Feb 16, 2021 at 06:05 PM IST

The Bombay High Court Tuesday reserved order on a transit anticipatory bail application moved by lawyer and climate activist Nikita Jacob after Delhi police issued non-bailable warrants against her and Shantanu Muluk, an engineer. The court will pronounce the order on February 17.

To Mukul’s appeal — filed in the Aurangabad bench of the Bombay High Court — a single-judge bench of Justice Vibha V Kankanwadi granted him a transit anticipatory bail and passed an order giving him a 10 day bail period so that he can approach the competent court seeking reliefs.

According to the Delhi Police, the duo along with 22-year-old Bengaluru resident Disha Ravi allegedly created the “toolkit” document on the farmers’ protest which touched upon “Pro-khalistani elements”. This document was also shared on social media by Swedish teenage climate activist Greta Thunberg.

Toolkit case | DCW sends notice to Delhi Police, seeks detailed report on Disha Ravi’s arrest

Jacob had appealed for interim protection from coercive steps taken by the Delhi Police. Her plea, filed on February 12, says that the Cyber Cell of Delhi Police, accompanied by personnel from Vanrai police station in Goregaon (East) in Mumbai, had come to her home with a search warrant, and seized personal documents and electronic gadgets. “The applicant has no religious, political or financial motive or agenda for researching, discussing, editing and circulating communication packs/toolkits for raising awareness, let alone to incite violence, riots or/and cause other physical harms,” the plea further read.

While Jacob’s plea was filed in the principal HC seat in Mumbai, Muluk, who hails from central Maharashtra, submitted his application in the Aurangabad bench of the High Court.

Both the pleas sought transit anticipatory bail for a period of four weeks so that they can approach the court concerned in Delhi to apply for pre-arrest bail. The pleas also claimed the “political vendetta” involved in their arrests.

Mukul’s application said that vendetta has trickled down from politics to the house of a common man making a mockery of the rights and principles enshrined in the Constitution of India.

Jacob and Mukul are latest to be associated with the “toolkit” case. Before them, Disha Ravi, a 21-year-old climate activist from Bengaluru was arrested with the Delhi Police stating that Ravi was a “key conspirator” in the formulation and dissemination of the document and she collaborated with pro-Khalisatani Poetic Justice Foundation to “spread disaffection against Indian state.”