Teesta Setalvad granted bail: The Supreme Court on Friday granted bail to activist Teesta Setalvad, arrested for allegedly fabricating evidence to frame "innocent people" in the 2002 Gujarat riots cases. The also asked the activist to surrender her passport with trial court till the time the Gujarat High Court decides her regular bail plea. The top court also asked Setalvad to cooperate with the probe agency in investigation of alleged fabrication of evidence to frame people in riots cases.
On August 30, a bench comprising Chief Justice Uday Umesh Lalit and justices S Ravindra Bhat and Sudhanshu Dhulia, which was to take up the plea for hearing at 3. 45 pm, adjourned the matter to September 1 due to paucity of time.
The Gujarat government has said that the activist had "enacted" the conspiracy along with other accused at the behest of a senior political leader and had arrested her in June. The state government, in an affidavit, claimed that Setalvad had held meetings with the said political leader and received "large amounts of money".
The affidavit, filed by the chief of the special investigation team (SIT) constituted to probe the case lodged in June this year, said the FIR was not solely based upon the June 24, 2022 judgement of the top court. Prior to this, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for Gujarat, had told the bench that a response to Setalvad's petition was ready and would be filed after some corrections.
