Disha Ravi sent to 3-day judicial custody

New Delhi: The Delhi Police on Friday alleged that 22-year-old climate activist Disha Ravi has been evasive during her interrogation and is shifting blame to co-accused activist Shantanu Muluk and lawyer Nikita Jacob, even as a Delhi court sent her to 3 days' judicial custody.

Ravi was produced before Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Akash Jain at Patiala House Courts at the end of her 5-day police remand.

During the hearing, Additional Public Prosecutor Irfan Ahmed told the court that during her interrogation, Ravi has been evasive and is putting the blame on co-accused Muluk and Jacob and hence she has to be confronted with both of them in order for police to further probe the case. "Notice has already been issued to Shantanu to join the investigation on February 22," Ahmed told the court.

However, Senior Advocate Siddharth Agarwal, on behalf of Ravi, raised objections with regard to the case diary and remand papers and alleged that they are not in accordance with the law. "There is no material in the case diary...it is not paginated and in volumes," Agarwal submitted.

Apprehending a possibility of tampering of the case diary, Agarwal told the court, "I'm objecting to the manner in which case diary is being provided...I would request that this not a case diary in accordance with the law and I ought to be released right now only on that basis," he told the court.

After the hearing, Advocate Abhinav Sekri was also granted 15 minutes of legal interview with Ravi inside the court lock-up. Meanwhile, Ravi's regular bail plea has been listed for today before a sessions judge.

And even as the 22-year-old was sent to Tihar under judicial custody, the Delhi High Court on Friday

said that certain media coverage of the investigation in the "toolkit" FIR against Disha indicated "sensationalism and prejudicial reporting", but declined to order the removal of any such content

at this stage.

Justice Prathiba M Singh said the interim plea for removal of such news content and tweets by Delhi Police would be considered at a later stage. The court, however, asked media houses to ensure that no leaked investigation material is broadcast as it could affect the probe and directed Delhi Police to abide by its stand on affidavit that it has not leaked nor intends to leak any probe details to the press.

The court also said that police would be entitled to hold press briefings in the matter in accordance with the law and the agency's 2010 office memorandum with regard to media coverage of cases.

To media houses, the court said they should ensure the information received from their sources is authentic and only verified content ought to be publicised so that the investigation is not hampered.

The police, represented by Additional Solicitor General (ASG) S V Raju, placed an affidavit before the court categorically denying leaking of any information to

the media.

It also assured the court that it has no intention of leaking any information to the media.

The ASG during the hearing said that the possibility of leakage by some officer of the agency cannot be ruled out entirely. The court, however, directed that the police have to abide by its affidavit.

The media houses, one of them represented by advocate Mrinal Bharti, told the court that the source of information in the present case was the Delhi Police and its tweets.

ASG Chetan Sharma and central government standing counsel Ajay Digpaul, appearing for the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, told the court that the petition was not maintainable as no complaint was first made to it for taking action against any TV channel or media house for any alleged incorrect reporting of the case.

The News Broadcasting Standards Authority (NBSA) told the court that it can take any action only if a complaint is made to it regarding the media houses named in the plea.

It further told the court that media houses named in the plea were members of the News Broadcasters Association (NBA).

Ravi was arrested from Bengaluru by the Delhi Police on February 13 in connection with a case registered by the Special Cell over the "toolkit" Google doc in support of the farmers' protest, which has allegedly been edited by her and later shared by global climate rights activist Greta Thunberg on Twitter.

Extending support to Ravi, Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg Friday said that freedom of speech and to protest peacefully are "non-negotiable" human rights that should not be denied in any democracy.