E-Paper
Supreme Court grants regular bail to Teesta Setalvad in case of alleged fabrication of 2002 Gujarat riots evidence
Supreme Court granted regular bail to Teesta Setalvad in connection with the FIR for allegedly fabricating evidence in the 2002 Gujarat riots cases.
Supreme Court on Wednesday granted regular bail to Teesta Setalvad in connection with the FIR for allegedly fabricating evidence in the 2002 Gujarat riots cases. The top court quashed the Gujarat high court order denying her bail.
The court further directed that during her bail, Setalvad's passport will remain deposited with the trial court. She will not make any attempt to influence witnesses and will remain away from the witnesses who are mostly in Gujarat. In the event, she is found to violate this condition, the court allowed the Gujarat police to seek cancellation of bail by approaching the top court.
On September 2 last year, the top court had granted her interim bail on the ground that she is a lady and the case pertained to 2002 where most evidence is documentary. These conditions were found to be relevant even today and hence the court directed her to continue to remain out on bail.
On June 25 last year, Setalvad along with ex-Gujarat director general of police RB Sreekumar and ex-IPS officer Sanjeev Bhatt was taken into custody in a case registered by the Ahmedabad Crime Branch for allegedly fabricating evidence in the 2002 Gujarat riots case.
On July 30, an Ahmedabad sessions court rejected the bail pleas of Setalvad and Sreekumar, saying their release will send a message to wrongdoers that a person can level allegations with impunity and get away with it.
Later, the Gujarat high court on August 3, issued a notice to the state government on the bail plea of Setalvad and fixed the matter for hearing on September 19.
She later moved the Supreme Court (SC) for interim bail after the high court refused to consider her plea.
