NEW DELHI: Activist Disha Ravi was on Monday sent to one-day police custody by a Delhi court after the police sought her custody for five days to confront her with coaccused in the toolkit case, report Aamir Khanand Sakshi Chand.
Chief metropolitan magistrate Pankaj Sharma observed, “Through collective confrontation, the role played by each of them in deletion of the original toolkit document would come to light, which is very necessary for fair investigation.”
The court said the case involved allegations of a “vituperous campaign” to spread hatred and disaffection to disrupt peace and tranquillity to undermine India’s sovereignty, integrity and security, the probing authority must be provided fair time and chance within the ambit of law to reach out to truth through custodial interrogation and confrontation.
“At the same time, a balance has to be struck with the individual’s right and considering the same, police custody remand of the accused is deemed necessary for a shorter period than required by police as only confrontation of accused with other co-accused is sought and accordingly, accused is remanded to one-day police custody,” it said. Appearing for Disha Ravi, whose bail order is set to be pronounced on Tuesday, advocate Sidhart Aggarwal said the only question was if the investigation’s needs be met without putting her in police custody.
“They have the right to interrogate, confront. They will come on their time and go back on their time. Why should I be in police custody on the same questions. The demand of remand for five days is made to overreach the court deciding Ravi’s bail on Tuesday,” he argued. When the prosecutor objected to Aggarwal’s submission, he said, “There’s a possibility that I may be wrong. The fact that there’s a bail order for Tuesday should’ve been informed to court.”
Police sought Ravi’s custody on the ground that she had confronted co-accused Nikita Jacob and Shantanu Muluk, who had been granted transit bail. They said the three accused have colluded with each other in creating the toolkit and its various tools. It also submitted that Disha Ravi had blamed others and the police had to ascertain each one of their roles.
“Further identification of other co-accused persons/conspirators and recovery of additional devices is to be made which is very likely and also to establish their links with proKhalistani group Poetic Justice Foundation,” the court noted. Nikita and Shantanu reached the cyber cell office in Dwarka to join the probe on Monday. They were also confronted with Disha.