Farmers Movement Archive

Farm stir: Activist Shubham Kar Chaudhari seeks bail in 'Toolkit' case

Shubham Kar Chaudhari, a 'climate activist', approached a Delhi Court on Thursday seeking anticipatory bail in the 'Toolkit' document case related to farmers' protest.The Goa Bench of Bombay High Court had earlier granted him protection from arrest until March 12, so that he can approach the court in Delhi, where an FIR had been registered under IPC Sections 124A (sedition), 153A (promoting enmity) and 120B (criminal conspiracy).Additional Session Judge Dharmender Rana of Patiala House Court is scheduled to hear the bail on March 12.The same court has already extended interim protection from arrest to Shantanu Muluk and Nikita Jacob till March 15 in the same FIR.Additional Session Judge Dharmender Rana had earlier granted regular bail to climate activist Disha Ravi in the case. 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, Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg had shared this 'toolkit' in a tweet, which she later deleted. Greta had also extended support to the protest by farmer unions on the borders of Delhi against the new farm laws.As per Delhi Police, the 'toolkit' shared by the Swedish climate activist played a major role in turning the '26 January 2021 tractor parade' violent, leaving a few hundred police personnel injured.Police said that the toolkit was not created just by a handful of activists in India but in collaboration with pro-Khalistani organisations.The Special Cell of Delhi Police lodged an FIR against creating and spreading the toolkit and said that a probe is on to unravel an 'international conspiracy' to defame India.

Hindustan Times

11-03-2021

India