Toolkit case: Delhi court extends protection from arrest granted to activist Shubham Kar Chaudhari
New Delhi, Mar 12: A Delhi court on Friday extended by three days the interim protection from arrest granted to climate activist Shubham Kar Chaudhari, a co-accused along with Disha Ravi and others in connection with allegedly being involved in sharing a "toolkit" on social media related to the farmers' protest.
Additional Session Judge Dharmender Rana granted the relief after police sought an adjournment in the proceedings related to an anticipatory bail moved by Chaudhari in the matter.
He was recently granted transit bail by the Goa bench of the Bombay High Court.
During the brief hearing on Friday, the police urged the court to adjourn the matter till March 15, when the anticipatory bail applications filed by co-accused Disha Ravi and Shantanu Mukul are scheduled for hearing.
No coercive action be taken against the accused till next date of hearing, the court directed, after the accused informed the judge that the protection garnered by the high court was scheduled to end today.
The counsel appearing for the accused told the court that his case was entirely different from the co-accused as he had no role in making the toolkit.
The Goa bench of the Bombay High Court had granted him protection from arrest until March 12, so that he can approach a court in Delhi, where an FIR had been registered under IPC Sections 124A (sedition), 153A (promoting enmity) and 120B (criminal conspiracy).
The court had earlier granted regular bail to climate activist Disha Ravi in the case.
The 21-year-old activist was arrested from Bengaluru in connection with the formulation and dissemination of the toolkit document, in the ongoing farmers' protest.
She was one of the editors of the toolkit document.
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CM Siddaramaiah alleges ‘criminal conspiracy’ in Sringeri recount, vows legal action
Bengaluru (PTI): Alleging a “criminal conspiracy” by BJP candidate D N Jeevaraj in the Sringeri Assembly poll recounting, Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah on Tuesday said the outcome was manipulated after valid postal ballot votes in favour of Congress leader T D Raje Gowda were tampered with during the recounting process.
Following a Karnataka High Court order on an election petition filed by Jeevaraj, challenging Raje Gowda’s election, the reverification and recounting were conducted on Saturday.
After the reverification and recount of postal ballots for the Sringeri Assembly constituency, votes polled in favour of Raje Gowda were reduced by 255, the returning officer said.
A report on the matter has been submitted to the Election Commission of India for further action, the officer added.
Congress leader Raje Gowda had won the 2023 Assembly polls from Sringeri by 201 votes, defeating his nearest rival Jeevaraj.
Addressing a press conference in Bengaluru, Siddaramaiah said the High Court had directed the recounting of postal ballots and that irregularities were noticed during the exercise conducted on May 2.
“This is a clear case of criminal conspiracy,” Siddaramaiah said, alleging that valid votes cast in favour of Raje Gowda were altered after being accepted by counting agents of all parties, including Congress, BJP, and JD(S).
He claimed that during the recounting of postal ballots, 255 votes were initially accepted as valid by all agents but were later tampered with by subordinate officials.
“There is a second mark on the votes polled in favour of Raje Gowda. They had accepted these as valid votes. Subsequently, another mark was made by officials. This is a clear case of criminal conspiracy,” he said.
When asked who was behind the alleged conspiracy, the CM replied, “It was hatched by Jeevaraj and others. It is planned.”
Siddaramaiah further alleged that the returning officer acted improperly by declaring the result despite the presence of an Election Commission observer during the recounting.
“Immediately after the counting, the returning officer announced the result. He should not have done so; this is against the law,” he said.
He pointed out that Raje Gowda had originally won by 201 votes, but after the recounting, the BJP candidate was declared the winner by 52 votes.
“The BJP has committed a criminal act of conspiracy. This is not vote chori but vote dacoity,” he alleged.
The CM said a police complaint had already been filed by Raje Gowda’s election agent, Sudhir Kumar, and emphasised the need for electoral integrity.
“We want transparency and free and fair elections. That is what our Constitution mandates,” he added.
Stating that the government would pursue legal remedies, Siddaramaiah said, “We are preparing an appeal challenging the returning officer’s announcement in a court of law.”
Responding to a separate query on elections in other states, the CM said there appeared to be an anti-incumbency factor in West Bengal, while results in Tamil Nadu were “surprising,” adding that Vijay’s party was emerging as the largest there.
Following the victory of party candidates in Bagalkote and Davanagere South, Siddaramaiah expressed confidence about future electoral prospects in Karnataka.
“Even in 2028, we will win the Assembly elections. We will come back,” the CM said.
Siddaramaiah added that he would order a forensic examination into the alleged tampering of postal ballots.
