Tag: Shantanu Muluk

  • Toolkit case: Court extends protection from arrest to Nikita Jacob, Shantanu Muluk till March 15

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: A court here on Tuesday extended protection from arrest till March 15 to Nikita Jacob and Shantanu Muluk, both accused along with young climate change activist Disha Ravi in a case of sharing a “toolkit” on social media related to the farmers’ protest.

    Additional Sessions Judge Dharmender Rana granted the relief after the counsel appearing from both the accused persons said they needed time to go through the reply filed by the Delhi Police before advancing arguments in the matter.

    The judge heard the submission and directed the police not to take any coercive action against both the accused till March 15, when court will further hear the matter. Jacob, Muluk and Ravi were booked for sedition and other charges.

  • Toolkit case: Delhi court grants protection from arrest to Shantanu Muluk till March 9

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: A court here on Thursday granted protection from arrest till March 9 to Shantanu Muluk, who is accused along with Disha Ravi of allegedly being involved in sharing a “toolkit” on social media related to the farmers’ protest.

    Additional Sessions Judge Dharmender Rana granted the relief to the activist after the Delhi Police said it needed time to conduct further interrogation before filing a detailed reply to Muluk’s anticipatory bail plea.

    The judge noted the submission and directed the police not to take any coercive action against Muluk till March 9, when court will further hear the matter.

    Muluk, along with Ravi and Nikita Jacob, was booked for alleged sedition and other charges.

  • Toolkit case: Court seeks police response on Shantanu Muluk’s anticipatory bail plea

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: A court here on Wednesday sought response from the Delhi Police on the anticipatory bail application of Shantanu Muluk, who along with Disha Ravi is accused of sharing a “toolkit” on social media related to the farmers’ protest.

    Muluk, along with Ravi and another co accused Nikita Jacob, was booked for alleged sedition and other charges.

    Additional Sessions Judge Dharmender Rana, who granted bail to Ravi on Wednesday, directed police to file reply to Muluk’s bail application and posted the matter for arguments on Thursday.

    Muluk had got transit bail from Bombay High Court on February 16 for a period of 10 days.

    During the brief hearing held through video-conferencing on Wednesday, the court also noted that Muluk has been granted protection from arrest till February 26.

    The matter was adjourned after the public prosecutor said that the investigating officer of the case was not present today and “it would be better if the matter is heard in physical presence.”

    In his application, Muluk has said that he merely created the toolkit with information on the agitation, which was then edited by others without his knowledge.

    According to the police, the ‘Toolkit’ was a sinister design to defame India and cause violence.

    The application further said that that Muluk did not access the document after January 20.

    “The applicant (Muluk) helped collate information about the site of farmers’ protests and formulate it in the form of a map for easy reference.”

    “The toolkit clearly shows that there is absolutely no connection with their social media support for the farmers protests, and with any violence whatsoever,” it said.

    The application said there was “absolutely nothing” in the toolkit that advised doing anything unlawful and that all it talked about was social media and offline peaceful protests and contacting elected representatives.

    In response to the allegation put forth by the police on his links with the Canada-based Khalistani organisations ‘Poetic Justice Foundation’ and Sikhs for Justice, the accused said that he has never had any contact with any person outside India in relation to the toolkit.

    “There may be differing views on ‘internationalising’ a protest, but the same is certainly not illegal. Applicant as a climate activist perforce campaigns with activists internationally. Simply talking to persons from outside India cannot be criminalised,” the application said.

    The application further claimed that he did not know about the co-founder of Poetic Justice Foundation, MO Dhaliwal and nothing objectionable was said in the zoom call on January 11, of which they both were part of.

    “There were some 70 odd persons on the call of whom the applicant did not know anybody apart from his colleague Nikita Jacob.

    Some people spoke there but nobody said anything that was divisive on the Zoom Call so the applicant had no reason to suspect anyone or anything,” he said.

    Muluk and Jacob had joined the investigation at Delhi Police’s Cyber Cell office in Dwarka on February 22, and were later confronted with Disha Ravi.

    Ravi was arrested by a Cyber Cell team of the Delhi Police from Bengaluru and brought to Delhi.

    Muluk and Jacob are currently on transit bail, while Ravi was granted bail on Tuesday after nine days of her arrest.

    If convicted for sedition, the accused may get a maximum jail term for life.

  • Toolkit case: Shantanu Muluk moves Delhi court for anticipatory bail

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: Shantanu Muluk, who is accused along with Disha Ravi in connection with allegedly being involved in sharing a “toolkit” on social media related to the farmers’ protest, Tuesday moved a Delhi court seeking anticipatory bail.

    The application moved by Muluk is likely to come up for hearing Wednesday before Additional Sessions Judge Dharmender Rana.

    READ| Modi vs Disha Ravi and Disha wins!

    Muluk had got transit bail from Bombay High Court on February 16 for 10 days.

    He, along with Ravi and another accused Nikita Jacob, was booked for alleged sedition and other charges.

    Ravi was arrested by a Cyber Cell team of the Delhi Police from Bengaluru and brought to Delhi.

    Her police custody ends today.

    Muluk and Jacob are currently on transit bail.

  • Toolkit case: Police grills Nikita and Shantanu, gets one-day custody of Disha Ravi

    By Express News Service
    NEW DELHI: A Delhi court on Monday sent student-activist Disha Ravi, arrested in connection with the farmer protest ‘toolkit’ probe, to one-day police custody.

    The 21-year-old was produced before Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Pankaj Sharma on expiry of her three-day judicial custody.

    Delhi Police sought five-day remand saying Disha had tried to shift blame on the co-accused — Nikita Jacob and Shantanu Muluk — during questioning and needed to be confronted with them.

    The court granted one day for custodial interrogation.

    Opposing the police plea, Disha’s lawyer Siddharth Agarwal said, “The police have a right to interrogate the accused even in the jail. Why do you require her custody?” He pointed out that an order on her bail plea is expected on Tuesday. Besides, he contended, why should Disha be in police custody while the two co-accused are out on bail. 

    Police said Jacob and Muluk may be arrested in future. The two had earlier secured pre-arrest transit bail from Bombay High Court. They  joined the probe and was questioned at Delhi Police’s Cyber Cell office on Monday. 

    They are being quizzed about their role in the case and their connection with the pro-Khalistani outfit Poetic Justice Foundation, Pieter Frederich and ISI agent BS Bhinder, said a source.

    An officer said the IP address and locations provided by Google on request show the toolkit was uploaded from Karnataka and Maharashtra.

  • Toolkit row: Environment activist Shantanu Muluk granted temporary anticipatory bail

    Express News Service
    NEW DELHI/MUMBAI: Two of the three activists named in the farmer protest toolkit FIR got relief from courts even as the Delhi Police ramped up efforts to build its case against them.

    Environment activist Shantanu Muluk was granted anticipatory transit bail by Aurangabad bench of the Bombay High Court on Tuesday for 10 days while the main bench of the HC reserved its order on a similar bail plea by lawyer-activist Nitika Jacob for Wednesday.

    Meanwhile, a Delhi court allowed Bengaluru’s student-activist Disha Ravi to speak with family over phone for 15 minutes and meet with her lawyer for 30 minutes every day while in police custody.

    Chief Metropolitan Magistrate also allowed her to get warm clothes, masks and books and ordered the Delhi Police to provide a copy of the FIR and remand documents to Disha.

    Delhi Police have, meanwhile, written to Zoom app to provide details of the contents, locations and the people who attended the January 11 virtual meeting organised by Pro-Khalistani group Poetic Justice Foundation.

    According to Joint Commissioner of Police (Cyber Cell) Prem Nath, about 60-70 people, including Disha, Jacob and Muluk — whom he identified as creators and editors of the toolkit — attended the meeting.

    Canada-based Khalistan supporter MO Dhaliwal and Anita Lal, co-founders of PJF, also attended the meeting to chalk out the modalities of creating the toolkit. Dismissing criticism over arrest of the 21-year-old activist, the police denied any lapse.

    “Disha’s arrest has been made in accordance with the law, which doesn’t differentiate between a 22-year-old or a 50-year-old,” said Delhi Police Commissioner. After Disha’s arrest, Jacob and Muluk moved the high court for anticipatory transit bail on Monday.

    Muluk can go to Delhi court

    The temporary bail granted to Muluk would enable him to apply for protection before an appropriate court in Delhi.

    Jacob’s lawyer told a single-judge bench that the toolkit only spoke of support to the farmers and not about violence

  • Toolkit row: Environment activist Shantanu Muluk granted temporary anticipatory bail

    Express News Service
    NEW DELHI/MUMBAI: Two of the three activists named in the farmer protest toolkit FIR got relief from courts even as the Delhi Police ramped up efforts to build its case against them.

    Environment activist Shantanu Muluk was granted anticipatory transit bail by Aurangabad bench of the Bombay High Court on Tuesday for 10 days while the main bench of the HC reserved its order on a similar bail plea by lawyer-activist Nitika Jacob for Wednesday.

    Meanwhile, a Delhi court allowed Bengaluru’s student-activist Disha Ravi to speak with family over phone for 15 minutes and meet with her lawyer for 30 minutes every day while in police custody.

    Chief Metropolitan Magistrate also allowed her to get warm clothes, masks and books and ordered the Delhi Police to provide a copy of the FIR and remand documents to Disha.

    Delhi Police have, meanwhile, written to Zoom app to provide details of the contents, locations and the people who attended the January 11 virtual meeting organised by Pro-Khalistani group Poetic Justice Foundation.

    According to Joint Commissioner of Police (Cyber Cell) Prem Nath, about 60-70 people, including Disha, Jacob and Muluk — whom he identified as creators and editors of the toolkit — attended the meeting.

    Canada-based Khalistan supporter MO Dhaliwal and Anita Lal, co-founders of PJF, also attended the meeting to chalk out the modalities of creating the toolkit. Dismissing criticism over arrest of the 21-year-old activist, the police denied any lapse.

    “Disha’s arrest has been made in accordance with the law, which doesn’t differentiate between a 22-year-old or a 50-year-old,” said Delhi Police Commissioner. After Disha’s arrest, Jacob and Muluk moved the high court for anticipatory transit bail on Monday.

    Muluk can go to Delhi court

    The temporary bail granted to Muluk would enable him to apply for protection before an appropriate court in Delhi.

    Jacob’s lawyer told a single-judge bench that the toolkit only spoke of support to the farmers and not about violence