Toolkit case: Delhi court extends protection from arrest granted to another activist

New Delhi: A Delhi court on Friday extended by three days the interim protection from arrest granted to climate activist Shubham Kar Chaudhari, a co-accused along with Disha Ravi and others in connection with allegedly being involved in sharing a "toolkit" on social media related to the farmers' protest.

Additional Session Judge Dharmender Rana granted the relief after police sought an adjournment in the proceedings related to an anticipatory bail moved by Chaudhari in the matter.

He was recently granted transit bail by the Goa bench of the Bombay High Court.

During the brief hearing on Friday, the police urged the court to adjourn the matter till March 15, when the anticipatory bail applications filed by co-accused Disha Ravi and Shantanu Mukul are scheduled for hearing.

No coercive action be taken against the accused till next date of hearing, the court directed, after the accused informed the judge that the protection garnered by the high court was scheduled to end today.

The counsel appearing for the accused told the court that his case was entirely different from the co-accused as he had no role in making the toolkit.

The Goa bench of the Bombay High Court had granted him protection from arrest until March 12, so that he can approach a court in Delhi, where an FIR had been registered under IPC Sections 124A (sedition), 153A (promoting enmity) and 120B (criminal conspiracy).

The court 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.