A Hisar court on Monday extended the judicial custody of YouTuber Jyoti Malhotra, who was arrested in May on charges of espionage. Judicial magistrate Sunil Kumar extended her custody for another week after she appeared virtually in court. The next hearing is on August 25.
Her lawyer, Kumar Mukesh, said the police filed the chargesheet on August 14, almost three months after her arrest. Malhotra will have to be present in person for the next hearing, where she will also receive a copy of the chargesheet.
Also Read: Concrete evidence alleged against Jyoti in espionage case
Malhotra ran the YouTube channel “Travel with JO”. She was arrested by the Hisar Police on May 16 under the Official Secrets Act and BNS. Her bail plea was rejected on June 9 after the police argued that the investigation was still in progress.
Earlier, the police said no evidence was found to show Malhotra had access to defence or military information. However, they alleged she was in touch with some people linked to Pakistani intelligence.
According to police sources, Malhotra had been in contact with Ehsan-ur-Rahim, also known as Danish, a staffer at the Pakistani High Commission, since November 2023.
India expelled Danish on May 13 for alleged espionage activities. The police claim Pakistani operatives were trying to develop Malhotra as an “asset.”
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