Farmers Movement Archive

Another activist Shubham Kar Chaudhari gets relief in toolkit case

After Nikita Jacob and Shantanu Muluk, another climate activist Shubham Kar Chaudhari was given interim relief by a Delhi court in the toolkit case related to farmers' protest. Chaudhari has been given protection from arrest till March 15.An FIR was registered against him in Delhi under sections 124A (sedition), 153A (promoting enmity) and 120B (criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).The Goa bench of the Bombay high court had earlier granted Chaudhari protection from arrest until March 12, so that he can approach a court in Delhi where the FIR is registered against him.Additional public prosecutor Irfan Ahmed told the court that similar pre-arrest bail petitions of the co-accused Muluk and Jacob is listed for March 15 and hence the matter should be taken up then. The prosecutor told the court that facts of the case are same and hence the matters can be taken up together.Advocate Soutik Banerjee, representing Chaudhari, requested the court that the protection be extended as the interim relief from the Goa bench is going to end today. Banerjee also said that his client has no role in the creation, editing and dissemination of the toolkit.Chaudhari also said through his lawyer that he has volunteered with environment organisation Extinction Rebellion and is presently its South Asian liaison. Both Jacob and Muluk are members of the said organisation, said the lawyer Banerjee, making it clear that his association with the duo is strictly in their capacity as volunteers and he has nothing to do with the creation of the online toolkit.Additional sessions judge Dharmender Rana then posted the matter for hearing on March 15 stating that "meanwhile no coercive steps would be taken against the accused till then".The court had earlier granted regular bail to climate activist Disha Ravi in the case.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 January 26 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.The police had registered the case on February 4.

Hindustan Times

12-03-2021

India