Toolkit case: Disha Ravi gets bail

A Session Court of the Patiala House Court granted bail to 21-year-old climate activist Disha Ravi in the toolkit case on Tuesday. Additional Session Judge Dharmender Rana granted bail to her on furnishing a bail bond of Rs 1 lakh with two surety in like amount.

In the order copy, Judge Rana stated, "Considering the scanty and sketchy investigation, I do not find any palpable reason to breach the rule of bail for a 21-year-old girl who has absolutely no criminal antecedents."

As part of bail conditions, the court has directed Ravi to co-operate with the investigation. It said "Ravi shall not leave the country and scrupulously appear before the court concerned at each and every stage of proceedings".

The court said, "There is absolutely no link established on record between Disha Ravi and banned outfit Sikhs for Justice. The creation of a WhatsApp group or being editor of an innocuous Toolkit is not an offence. There is nothing on record to suggest that Disha Ravi subscribed to any secessionist idea."

Police had alleged that the "toolkit" was part of a global conspiracy to create unrest and trigger violence in India in the garb of the farmers' protest against the three new farm laws. Farmers, mostly from Punjab, Haryana and western Uttar Pradesh, are protesting at various border points of Delhi demanding the repeal of the Centre's new farm laws.

Lawyer Nikita Jacob and Shantanu Muluk, an engineer, were on Monday questioned at the Delhi Police's Cyber cell office in Dwarka, a senior police officer had said. The Delhi Police, probing the "toolkit Google doc" backing the farmers' agitation that was shared by climate activist Greta Thunberg, had arrested Bengaluru-based activist Disha Ravi on February 13 while Jacob and Muluk were granted pre-arrest bail by the Bombay High Court.