Disha Ravi's mother happy with bail order

People across Bengaluru hailed the order of a Delhi court to grant bail to Disha Ravi. The ‘swiftness’ with which the court granted bail has raised hopes that Ravi would emerge unscathed, they said. Ravi’s mother Manjula said she was happy and the bail order had firmed up her faith in the law. The Delhi Police had arrested Ravi on February 13.

Activist Mukund Gowda, Ravi’s fellow volunteer at Fridays for Future, said he saw the bail as a sign of victory, yet only a temporary relief in a long-drawn fight. “The court granting her bail showed there was not an iota of truth in sedition charges against her and the police’s attempt to link her with Khalistan elements is baseless,” he said.

Advocate Vinay Sreenivasa said: “The bail order vindicates what the entire country has been saying — there was no evidence; dissent is our right and using the toolkit did not violate any laws but a democratic expression of our thoughts protected by the Constitution.” The Cenre should at least now stop ‘hounding’ activists and youth and start engaging with them, he said.

An alumnus of Ravi’s Mount Carmel College felt the way she conducted herself after the arrest was inspiring. “The bail order is extremely relevant because it has recognized dissent as a legitimate tool and has raised our hopes. But I am inspired by how she held to her beliefs during the court hearing,” said Aishwarya Ravikumar, a fellow alumnus. Over 330 college alumni had signed a petition condemning the arrest.

Congress leader Dinesh Gundu Rao demanded home minister Amit Shah’s resignation.