'Toolkit' case: Bombay HC grants relief to the Nikita Jacob

Mumbai, February 17: Giving relief to one of the main accused in the "toolkit" case, Bombay High Court grants 3 weeks transit anticipatory bail to Nikita Jacob in connection with the farmers' protest "tool kit" case.

 

Justice PD Naik pronounced the order after hearing the plea. “This protection is granted for a period of three weeks from today (Wednesday) to enable the applicant to approach the competent court for seeking appropriate relief,” the bench noted and disposed of Jacob’s application.

 

 

 

In case of arrest, she will be released on a personal bond of Rs 25,000 and one surety of like amount, the court said.

 

In her plea, she argued that she has no religious, political, or financial motive for researching, editing, or circulating communication packs/toolkits for raising awareness, let alone to incite violence and riots. She has also alleged in her application that some trolls and bots are circulating her personal information, email-ids, phone numbers, social media handles, and pictures on social media.

 

Jacob has also addressed her fears that she may be arrested due to a political vendetta and media trial, despite co-operating with the investigating machinery. Last week, police has searched her house, seized her laptop and phone.

 

Apart from Jacob, a single-judge bench of Justice Vibha V Kankanwadi of the Aurangabad bench of the Bombay High Court granted 10-day transit anticipatory bail to another accused Shantanu Muluk on a personal bond of Rs 50,000, to approach the competent/appropriate court for relief.

 

They were had after they approached the HC after Delhi Court issued Non-bailable warrants against them. Police alleged that Jacob and Muluk among the around 70 people who had attended the meeting on preparing the toolkit organised by the pro-Khalistan group Poetic Justice Foundation through the Zoom app.

 

 

Delhi Police has named Jacob and Disha Ravi as editors of the "toolkit," and has named Muluk as its owner. The police have claimed that the document was meant to "spread disaffection against the Indian state" in collaboration with a Canada-based outfit called Poetic Justice Foundation (PJF), which is described as a pro-Khalistani group.

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