Toolkit case: Shantanu Muluk gets interim protection from arrest till March 9

Additional sessions judge Dharmendar Rana on Thursday directed that no coercive action shall be taken against Muluk till the said date, when the hearing will next take place.

A Delhi court on Thursday extended interim protection granted to ‘toolkit’ row co-accused Shantanu Muluk till the next date of hearing, which, it said, will take place on March 9. Additional sessions judge Dharemendar Rana passed the order after the public prosecutor submitted that no coercive action will be taken against Pune-based Muluk, an engineer by profession.

Arguing for the Delhi Police, which is conducting an investigation into the case, public prosecutor Irfan Ahmed informed the bench that Muluk’s replies to it in connection with the case were inconsistent and full of contradictions. The public prosecutor further submitted in the court that the police would need seven days to file a detailed reply.

Following this, judge Rana directed that no coercive action should be taken against Muluk, extending his interim protection till March 9. Earlier, on Wednesday, the court had sought the police’s response on the anticipatory bail plea filed by Muluk and posted arguments on it for Thursday.

On February 16, the Aurangabad bench of the Bombay High Court had granted transit anticipatory bail to him for 10 days. Nikita Jacob, another accused in the case, too, has already been granted three-week transit anticipatory bail by the High Court. On Tuesday, Disha Ravi, the only accused to be arrested in this case thus far, was granted bail by Additional sessions judge Rana.

Ravi was arrested on February 13 and sent to five-day police custody. She was then sent to three and one-day judicial custody respectively, before finally getting bail.

The controversy dates back to earlier this month, when international climate activist Great Thunberg tweeted a 'toolkit' over the ongoing farmers’ protest in India. The Delhi Police then filed an FIR against ‘unknown’ persons, later naming Ravi, Muluk and Jacob as the three main accused.