Chandigarh — Harish Malhotra, father of travel blogger Jyoti Malhotra who was arrested on allegations of spying for Pakistan, has written to President Droupadi Murmu seeking urgent intervention and cancellation of the FIR against his daughter. In his letter, he maintained Jyoti’s innocence, calling the charges baseless and driven by procedural abuse.
Harish claimed that police officers coerced Jyoti into signing blank papers, which were later filled in with statements designed to support a false narrative. He said that no evidence of sedition has been presented so far, yet his daughter remains in judicial custody.
He also cited remarks made publicly by the Hisar Superintendent of Police and questioned the FIR’s legality, noting that while IPC Section 152 regarding obstruction of public servants has been invoked, sedition is not mentioned — despite the serious nature of the case presented publicly.
Jyoti, a travel blogger by profession, had visited Pakistan and uploaded regular video content documenting her travels. Her father argued that none of her content was sensitive or national security-related. “There is nothing anti-national in those videos. Now she says she will never travel to Pakistan again. Please help my daughter get justice,” he wrote.
On Monday, Jyoti appeared via video conference for her sixth court hearing. The court extended her judicial custody by another 14 days. The next hearing is scheduled for August 18.
