A Mumbai court on Wednesday granted bail to an associate of a 22-year-old climate activist whose arrest for promoting an action plan for farmers' protests caused outrage across the country.
Police had sought the arrest of Nikita Jacob, a Mumbai lawyer, for allegedly working with activist Disha Ravi on a document or "toolkit" that they said was used to foment violence during a mass protest by farmers in Delhi last month.
Mr Ravi, an activist linked to Swedish climate change campaigner Greta Thunberg, was arrested at the weekend on charges of sedition. He is in police custody.
But Ms Jacob petitioned a court in Mumbai to stop the police from carrying out her arrest warrant.
"The court has granted her three weeks' interim relief," Sanjukta Dey, Ms Jacob's lawyer, said outside the court.
"There is nothing in the toolkit about violence. It is only for creating awareness about farm laws. It's not for creating violence," Ms Dey said.
Ms Dey said that Ms Jacob had already been questioned by police about the document and she was ready to co-operate with them in their investigations into the events of January 26, when farmers stormed the historic Red Fort in the old quarter of Delhi while the country was celebrating Republic Day.
Ms Thunberg tweeted a link to the toolkit in early February, drawing international attention to the farmers' campaign against the Indian government's move to deregulate agricultural markets and open them to private players. She later deleted the post.
Politicians, students and activists held protests against the arrest of Ms Ravi, a founding member of the local arm of Ms Thunberg's Fridays for Future climate change movement. On Wednesday, the student wing of the main opposition Congress party staged a protest in Delhi demanding her release.
A lawyer for Ms Ravi declined to comment. Her arrest comes at a time when Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government faces allegations it is suppressing dissent.
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Micro-retirement is not a recognised concept or employment status under Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations (as amended) (UAE Labour Law). As such, it reflects a voluntary work-life balance practice, rather than a recognised legal employment category, according to Dilini Loku, senior associate for law firm Gateley Middle East.
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“Any leave taken beyond statutory entitlements, such as annual leave, is typically regarded as unpaid leave in accordance with Article 33 of the UAE Labour Law. While employees may legally take unpaid leave, such requests are subject to the employer’s discretion and require approval.”
If an employee resigns to pursue micro-retirement, the employment contract is terminated, and the employer is under no legal obligation to rehire the employee in the future unless specific contractual agreements are in place (such as return-to-work arrangements), which are generally uncommon, Ms Loku adds.
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