Teesta Setalvad case: In a latest update to a case linked to the 2002 post-Godhra riots, the Supreme Court on Wednesday extended interim protection from arrest to activist Teesta Setalvad. The court has set July 19 for the next hearing. Hearing the matter, a bench of Justices BR Gavai, AS Bopanna and Dipankar Datta issued notice to the Gujarat government on the appeal filed by Setalvad against the Gujarat High Court order.
Meanwhile, Additional Solicitor General SV Raju sought time from the apex court, saying he needs time to interpret documents. The bench obliged his request and scheduled the matter for a hearing on July 19.
Supreme Court's July 1 judgement
Earlier on July 1, the supreme court granted Setalvad protection from arrest and granted a week-long stay of the high court's decision to deny her request for regular bail and order her immediate surrender in a case involving the alleged fabrication of evidence to frame innocent individuals in the post-Godhra riot trials.
During the late-night hearing on July 1, the three-judge bench had questioned the denial of time to Setalvad to appeal against the high court's order, saying even an ordinary criminal is entitled to some form of interim relief.
"This court considering the application for grant of interim bail had granted the same on certain conditions, vide order dated September 2, 2022. One of the factors that weighed with this court was that the petitioner was a lady and as such entitled to special protection under Section 437 CrPC," the bench had noted in its order.
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About the case against Setalvad
It is worth mentioning here that Setalvad was arrested in June 2022 along with former Gujarat Director General of Police RB Sreekumar and ex-IPS officer Sanjiv Bhatt in an offence registered by Ahmedabad crime branch police for allegedly fabricating evidence to frame “innocent people” in the post-Godhra riots cases.
In its judgment, the high court had observed that prima facie Setalvad used her close associates and riot victims to file "false and fabricated affidavits before the Supreme Court with a view to unseat the establishment and to tarnish the image of establishment and the then Chief Minister Narendra Modi.
(With inputs from PTI)
