On Sunday, the arrest of a 22-year-old climate activist from Bengaluru, Disha Ravi, sparked widespread outrage, with politicians, academics, activists, authors, and poets among those condemning the police action over a guide to the anti-government farmers’ protests that was tweeted by environmentalist Greta Thunberg.

Disha works as a culinary experience manager in GoodMylk, which orients the food habit of people in line with demands of climate change mitigation. She has been involved with many projects with environmental angles like Aarey across places from Dehradun to Goa. Gayle Kimball, an author of an upcoming book on Gen Z girl activists had interviewed Disha in which the activist had reflected upon whether activism & protests are a part of Indian culture.

While arresting Disha and taking her to Delhi, the Special Cell has jumped many official norms which more than often come in the way of common men to get justice. From getting 5 days PC to transporting the activist to Delhi without transit remand, the Delhi police is playing to the tunes of it’s political masters, the GOI which stands cornered over the farmers’ movement.

Criticizing the Magistrate’s order remanding 21-year old climate activist Disha Ravi in the Greta Thunberg ‘toolkit’ case, acclaimed criminal law practitioner Senior Advocate Rebecca Mammen John said that it amounted to “shocking abdication of judicial duties”. She expressed deep disappointment at the conduct of the Duty Magistrate, Patiala House court of New Delhi, who, according to her, remanded the young woman to five days custody of Delhi police, without first ensuring that she was being represented by counsel.

As per various news reports, Disha Ravi made submissions on her own before the Magistrate. She denied being part of any conspiracy against the Indian State. According to news reports, Disha Ravi broke down before the Magistrate while saying, “I was just supporting farmers. I supported farmers because they are our future and we all need to eat.” She added that she did not create the toolkit, and just made two edits to it. Sharply questioning the Duty Magistrate’s response, R M John asked, “Were the case diaries and the arrest memo examined?”. John also asked if the Magistrate asked why Ravi was brought directly from Bengaluru without a transit remand from the Courts there.

“Did the magistrate ask the Special cell why she was being produced directly from Bangalore without a transit remand from Bangalore courts?”, the senior lawyer asked.

Disha Ravi was arrested by a special cell of the Delhi Police from her Bengaluru residence on Saturday night and was produced before the Duty Magistrate at Patiala House Courts, Delhi on Sunday afternoon. Rebecca John opined that Duty Magistrates should only remand the accused to single day custody till production before the Regular Magistrate. “If you are a duty magistrate, sitting on a Sunday, you should at best remand for a day, so that the regular court takes up the matter the next day. Duty magistrates should never send an accused to 5 days PC”, she said.

Outrage over the arrest

Jairam Ramesh, a former minister and lawmaker for the opposition Congress party, called her arrest and detention “completely atrocious” and “unwarranted harassment and intimidation“. His colleagues in the Congress like P Chidambaram, & Shashi Tharoor, and those from other opposition parties also spoke out against the move. Other leaders like Priyanka Chaturvedi, Sitaram Yechury, & Ananda Sharma also castigated GOI over the arrest.

A coalition of activist groups demanded Ms. Ravi’s release and said that it was “extremely worried for her safety and wellbeing“.

Several student activists held a protest in Bengaluru while the Coalition for Environmental Justice in India demanded the release of Disha Ravi. The students staged a peaceful demonstration and handed over saplings to the police, demanding the release of Ravi. In a statement, the Coalition for Environmental Justice in India termed Disha’s arrest “extra-judicial abduction” and said that Delhi Police had no regard for rule of law.

Also See: Overview of the Farmers’ unions in the protests

“The question is when will those people be arrested who continue to issue a literal ‘toolkit’ to break the national and social unity of India morning and evening, giving rise to hatred and division among the masses,” Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav posted in Hindi.

Also See: An overview of Farmers’ protests-role of Charan Singh

The Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM), the umbrella body spearheading the farmers’ protests that Disha Ravi supported, demanded her immediate release. Condemning Ravi’s arrest, the group said that she “stood in support of the farmers“. “We demand her immediate unconditional release,” it said in the statement.

The tweets also triggered an outpouring of solidarity from prominent individuals on social media, both within and outside India.

(Inputs from LiveLaw & NDTV)