Toolkit row: No agenda as is being claimed, Mumbai advocate Nikita Jacob says in plea

MUMBAI/NEWDELHI: The transit anticipatory bail leas of advocate on Nikita Jacob and activist Shantanu Muluk has been listed for hearing before the Bombay High Court on Tuesday.  In her petition filed through advocate Sanjukta Dey, Jacob has said on February 11, Delhi Police’s Cyber Cell team came to her house with a search warrant and seized her personal documents and electronic gadgets which had confidential information protected by the attorney-client privilege.

They also recorded her statement, she said. Jacob said she volunteered in an environmental movement called ‘Extinction Rebellion’ and has been researching and circulating information for raising awareness as she was “deeply concerned with the recent farm laws and consequent villainising of farmers”.

However, the petition claimed she had “no religious, political and financial motive or agenda”. She further claimed that some “social media trollers and bots” are circulating her personal information, email-ids and phone number and she was unnecessarily being linked with political parties. 

Seeking bail, she said, “It is difficult for women to travel to other states and defend themselves with the fear of getting arrested in transit on the basis of this frivolous/ false complaint/FIR. In her plea, she has also sought a copy of the FIR against her.

 At a media briefing, Delhi’s Joint CP, Cyber Cell, Prem Nath said after investigating several screenshots of the toolkit document available on open source, a search warrant was obtained on February 9 against Jacob and searches were conducted at her house on February 11, “after due intimation to Mumbai police.”
Delhi Police said the search was conducted during daytime and the investigating team requested her to make herself available the next morning. She gave written undertaking but went absconding, it said.