Taking suo-moto cognizance in the arrest of 21-year-old activist Disha Ravi in the ‘toolkit’ case, the Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) on Tuesday, 16 February, wrote to Delhi Police over media reports of alleged lapses of protocol during her arrest.
Referring to reports claiming that Ravi was brought from Bengaluru to Delhi without her parents having knowledge of her whereabouts, not producing her before a local court for her transit remand and her trial being allegedly conducted without the lawyer of her choice being present in the court, the DCW demanded information in the matter from the Delhi police.
In the letter, undersigned by chief Swati Maliwal, the DCW has made the following demands:
- Copy of FIR registered in the matter.
- Reasons for allegedly not producing the arrested girl before the local court for transit remand.
- Reasons for allegedly not providing the lawyer of her choice to the girl when she was produced before court in Delhi.
- Detailed action taken report in the matter
The commission has demanded the information from the Delhi Police by 19 February.
The cognizance from DCW over the alleged lapses of protocols comes even as the Delhi Police has been claiming that due process was followed in Ravi’s arrest.
The Delhi police on Monday had said that it had retrieved “highly incriminating” evidence from Ravi’s phone and that she was one of the creators of the allegedly incrimination ‘toolkit’ document along with activists Nikita Jacob and Shantanu Muluk.
The police also claimed that her arrest took place in the presence of a female officer, the SHO of the local police station and her parents.
While the police deems the ‘toolkit’ document to be seditious and behind the violence of Republic Day, Ravi has denied being a part of any conspiracy in court.
“As far as Disha's arrest is concerned, it was done as per the procedures. Law doesn't differentiate between a 22-year-old and a 50-year-old. She was produced before a court which sent her to five-day police custody. It's false when people say that there were lapses in the arrest,” Delhi CP SN Srivastava said on Tuesday as quoted by ANI.
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