A Hisar court on Monday extended the judicial custody of YouTuber Jyoti Malhotra, who was arrested in May on suspicion of espionage. She will now remain in custody until September 2.
Malhotra, who hails from Hisar and ran the YouTube channel Travel with JO, was arrested by Hisar Police on May 16. On Monday, she physically appeared before judicial magistrate (first class) Sunil Kumar, who remanded her to custody till September 2, her lawyer Kumar Mukesh confirmed. “She will now be produced on September 2,” Mukesh said.
Chargesheet and Confidentiality Dispute
When asked about sharing a copy of the chargesheet with Malhotra, Mukesh said the police had filed an application in court stating that certain portions should be redacted before being provided to her, citing confidentiality and sensitive content. He added that he would be filing a reply in the matter on August 27.
Malhotra was booked under provisions of the Official Secrets Act and the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) after being arrested from the New Aggarsain Extension area in Hisar. Her regular bail plea was earlier rejected by a court on June 9, with police opposing it on the grounds that the investigation was still underway.
Alleged Links With Pakistani Operatives
Hisar Police have previously stated that while no evidence has emerged to suggest Malhotra had access to military or defence-related information, she was allegedly in contact with certain individuals known to be Pakistani intelligence operatives.
According to police sources, Malhotra was in touch with Ehsan-ur-Rahim alias Danish, a staffer at the Pakistani High Commission, since November 2023. India expelled Danish on May 13, accusing him of indulging in espionage. Police further claimed that Pakistani intelligence operatives were attempting to develop Malhotra as an “asset.”