Toolkit Case: Bombay High Court Grants 10-Day Transit Anticipatory Bail To Shantanu Muluk, Order on Nikita Jacob’s Plea Today

In his plea before the Aurangabad Bench, Muluk had sought transit anticipatory bail on the grounds that the Delhi Police had stationed itself in the town of Beed which is his native town for the past three days and seized several material without following due process of law.

Mumbai: The Aurangabad Bench of Bombay High Court on Tuesday granted transit anticipatory bail for a period of ten days to activist Shantanu Muluk in connection with the FIR registered by the Delhi Police related to “toolkit” circulated on social media.

The order was passed by Justice Vibha Kankanwadi. According to Bar and Bench, In his plea before the Aurangabad Bench, Muluk had sought transit anticipatory bail on the grounds that the Delhi Police had stationed itself in the town of Beed which is his native town for the past three days and seized several material without following due process of law.

On the other hand, the high court heard advocate Nikita Jacob’s bail plea in connection with the same case but reserved its order till Wednesday.

On Monday, the Delhi Police alleged that climate activist Disha Ravi along with two other suspects Nikita Jacob and Shantanu Muluk created the “toolkit” document related to the farmers’ protest and shared in on social media. The police claimed Disha, who was arrested by the force on Saturday from Bengaluru, sent the “toolkit” to teen climate activist Greta Thunberg via Telegram app.

Addressing a press conference, Joint Commissioner of Police (Cyber) Prem Nath claimed that Disha deleted a WhatsApp group she created to spread the “toolkit”. The Delhi Police earlier said non-bailable warrants have been issued against Jacob and Shantanu for allegedly sharing the “toolkit” on social media.

Nath claimed that Nikita and Shantanu attended a zoom meeting organised by ‘pro-khalistani’ group Poetic Justice Foundation (PJF) and added that Jacob was also one of the editors of “toolkit” document.

“Disha , Shantanu and Nikita created and edited the toolkit. Disha sent the toolkit to Greta Thunberg through the Telegram app. Disha deleted a whatsapp group which she created to spread the toolkit. Due procedure was followed during Dishal’s arrest,” he said.

Ravi was sent to five days police remand on Sunday by a Delhi court here.

Thunberg had shared the “toolkit” to lend her support to the farmers’ agitation against the three farm reform laws. In the document, various urgent actions, including creating a Twitter storm and protesting outside Indian embassies, were listed which were needed to be taken to support the farmers’ protest.

The toolkit has been cited by some critics as a “proof” of her conspiracy to fuel protests in India.