YouTuber Jyoti sent to police custody for four more days in espionage case
A Hisar court today extended the police custody of YouTuber Jyoti Malhotra by four days in connection with charges of espionage for Pakistan. She was produced before Civil Judge (Junior Division) Sunil Kumar after the completion of her initial five-day remand.
She was brought to Court Number 20 at around 9:30 am under heavy security. The courtroom was sealed off with three police personnel deployed outside the door, barring public access during the hearing. She remained in court till 11 am.
The police brought her in a white Scorpio with black-tinted windows. Jyoti entered the court premises through the judges’ entry gate, escorted by female officers in plain clothes and male police personnel. Dressed in a light sky-blue shirt and jeans, she appeared composed as she exited the vehicle just steps from the courtroom entrance. After the hearing, she was taken back in the same vehicle via the restricted route.
Security was significantly heightened throughout the court complex with uniformed and plainclothes officers posted at various locations. The movement of lawyers and visitors was temporarily affected during the hearing.
Superintendent of Police, Hisar, Shashank Kumar Sawan, later told mediapersons that the court granted four more days of police remand for further interrogation. He confirmed that Jyoti had shared sensitive information with Pakistani Intelligence Operative (PIO), which is a criminal act under the charges she faces. However, he refused to divulge any more details citing the ongoing investigation.
In the courtroom, a prolonged legal tussle took place over the police’s demand for seven-day extension of her custody. The police reportedly argued that forensic reports of Jyoti’s three mobile phones and one laptop, sent to the Madhuban Forensic Lab, were still pending. These devices could contain crucial data detailing her interactions and the nature of information allegedly passed on to the Pakistani handler, the police said while seeking her custody. Public Prosecutor Mandeep Badak represented the police in the court.
The police further submitted that several other state agencies had approached them for interrogation rights as Jyoti had allegedly filmed sensitive videos across state borders, including visuals of border security installations.
In her defence, Jyoti was represented by lawyers appointed through the District Legal Services Authority (DLSA) as she had not engaged a private counsel. Advocates Jogmani Sharma represented her in the court. Her lawyer reportedly questioned the need for further custody without concrete evidence or the awaited forensic results.
The court, after reviewing the arguments and perusing police submissions for nearly 10 minutes, ruled that four more days of custody would be sufficient, rejecting the plea for seven-day extension.
Haryana Tribune