Citizens can’t be jailed for disagreeing with state policies: ASJ Rana

New Delhi: Observing that “citizens are conscience keepers of government in any democratic nation” and “cannot be put behind the bars simply because they choose to disagree with the State policies”, and that the “offence of sedition cannot be invoked to minister to the wounded vanity of governments”, a Delhi court granted bail to Bengaluru activist Disha Ravi on Tuesday.

Disha Ravi, a 22-year-old activist who was arrested in connection with a toolkit on the farmer protests that was tweeted by Swedish activist Greta Thunberg, was granted bail by a sessions court in Delhi on Tuesday. The court order comes as a blow to the Delhi Police, which had alleged that the activist was the “key conspirator” in the formulation and dissemination of the document and that she collaborated with pro-Khalistani group Poetic Justice Foundation (PJF) to “spread disaffection against Indian state”.

In the bail order, Additional Sessions Judge Dharmender Rana noted that the accused had “absolutely no criminal antecedents”. Ravi was granted bail on a personal bond of Rs 1 lakh and two sureties of like amount.

Rana, noting that the Delhi Police “resistance to the bail plea seems to be more of ornamental in nature, said, “Considering the scanty and sketchy evidence available on record, I do not find any palpable reasons to breach the general rule of ‘Bail’ against a 22-year-old young lady, with absolutely blemish-free criminal antecedents and having firm roots in the society, and send her to jail.”

Stating that “this 5000-year-old civilization of ours has never been averse to ideas from varied quarters”, he quoted a couplet from the Rig Veda which “embodies our cultural ethos expressing our respect for divergent opinions” – it broadly translates to ‘Let noble thoughts come to me from all directions’.