Toolkit Case: Environmentalist Gets Bail

The Goa bench of the Bombay High Court has granted transit anticipatory bail to environmentalist Subham Kar Chaudhuri, a suspect in a case registered by the Delhi police in connection with the "toolkit" shared by climate activist Greta Thunberg over the ongoing farmers" protest.

A single bench of Justice M S Jawalkar on Wednesday granted transit anticipatory bail to Chaudhuri, providing him protection till March 12 in order to enable him to approach the competent court in Delhi for seeking appropriate reliefs.

"The reasons for apprehension of arrest is justified in the facts and circumstances set out," the order, which was made available on Thursday, said.

Chaudhuri, in his plea, said he was a resident of Goa since August last year and has no connection to the toolkit case.

In his plea, Chaudhuri said he was an ardent environmentalist, actively involved in seeking ecologically sustainable solutions and proposing an environment-oriented approach towards policy-making.

The court also considered the fact that two other suspects in the case- advocate Nikita Jacob and another environmentalist Shantanu Muluk- were granted transit anticipatory bail last month by the Bombay High Court.

Both Jacob and Muluk later approached the court concerned in Delhi seeking anticipatory bail.

Greta Thunberg, a teen climate activist, had shared the "toolkit" to lend her support to the farmers" agitation near Delhi borders against the Centre"s three agriculture laws.

In the document, various urgent actions, including creating a Twitter storm and protesting outside Indian embassies, were listed which were needed to be taken to support the farmers" protest.

The toolkit has been cited by some critics as a "proof" of her conspiracy to fuel protests in India. PTI