Toolkit case: Delhi HC dismisses activist Disha Ravi’s plea seeking change of bail conditions

The Delhi High Court on Tuesday, 26 September, dismissed climate activist Disha Ravi’s plea to modify her bail condition of seeking prior permission of the trial court before travelling abroad as she is facing prosecution in the alleged toolkit case against her over the 2021 farmers' protests.

The toolkit was distributed in the form of a Google Doc that went viral on Twitter. According to the police, the "toolkit" on the farmers' protest that Ravi with two others allegedly created was developed with an intention to "tarnish India's image".

She has challenged a trial court's order which dismissed her plea to modify the bail condition.

A court on February 23, 2021, granted bail to Ravi days after she was arrested from Bengaluru for allegedly editing a social media toolkit about the farmer protest against three farm laws.

The court had granted bail saying there was "scanty" and "sketchy" evidence to back charges of sedition against Ravi. Notably, while granting bail, the trial court had imposed various conditions on her including that she shall not leave the country without prior permission of the court.

On Tuesday, Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma refused to accept Ravi’s submission that the condition of permission be converted to that of intimation.

In August, Justice Sharma had reserved the order on Ravi’s plea.

Ravi's counsel had urged the judge to modify the condition to the extent that she shall intimate the trial court before going abroad.

"I have already travelled abroad three times after passing the bail order. The bail condition of taking prior permission of the trial court is causing me inconvenience," Ravi's counsel had argued.

In response, the state's counsel had opposed the plea saying that just because the condition is inconvenient according to her, it cannot be grounds for modification.

On 27 February, a single-judge bench of Justice Prathiba M. Singh directed the Centre to file a fresh status report on the ongoing investigation against Ravi.

Justice Singh, while dealing with Ravi's plea seeking the court's direction to restrain police from providing any investigation material to the media, had said: "Let the Union of India file an affidavit as to the status of investigation and the current position."

Appearing for Ravi, senior advocate Akhil Sibal had said that a question which needs to be considered here is whether the investigating agency has the power and entitlement to identify and collect private data or investigation from a person who is under investigation.

"During the course of investigation, when the charge sheet is yet to be filed, you've collected private data and the media starts reporting," Sibal had contended.

He had said that no charge sheet has been filed in the case yet and that his client is out on bail.

"This cannot go on like this. It is an important matter, you cannot come without instructions," Justice Singh had expressed her displeasure over the Police counsel appearing without proper instructions. Ravi was arrested by the Delhi Police on 13 February, 2021.