By PTI
NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Wednesday extended interim protection from arrest to activist Teesta Setalvad in a case linked to the 2002 post-Godhra riots. The next hearing will be on July 19.
A bench of Justices B R Gavai, A S Bopanna and Dipankar Datta issued notice to the Gujarat government on the appeal filed by Setalvad against the Gujarat high court order.
At the outset, Additional Solicitor General SV Raju sought time from the top court, saying he needs time to translate documents. The bench agreed to his request and posted the matter for hearing on July 19.
The apex court on July 1 protected Setalvad from arrest and stayed for a week the high court order rejecting her plea for regular bail and asking her to surrender immediately in a case of alleged fabrication of evidence to frame innocent people in the post-Godhra riot cases.
Setalvad was arrested in June last year along with former Gujarat Director General of Police R B 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. She was released on interim bail on September 3.
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 (Modi).”
The fabrication of evidence case against Setalvad, Bhatt and Sreekumar was registered a day after the Supreme Court’s verdict in the Zakia Jafri case.
The apex court had dismissed a plea of Jafri, the wife of slain former MP Ehsan Jafri, challenging the Special Investigation Team’s (SIT) clean chit to 64 people, including then Chief Minister Narendra Modi, in the 2002 Gujarat riots case.
Earlier, the Ahmedabad sessions court had rejected the bail applications of Setalvad and Sreekumar.
Last month, the trial court rejected Sreekumar’s plea for discharge in the case.
Sreekumar is also out on interim bail granted by the high court.
Former IPS officer Sanjiv Bhatt, the third accused in the case, has not applied for bail.
Bhatt is already in jail for another criminal matter when he was arrested in this case.
The Ahmedabad city crime branch had registered a First Information Report (FIR) against Setalvad and two others under Indian Penal Code sections 468 (forgery for cheating) and 194 (fabricating false evidence with intent to procure conviction for capital offences) of the Indian Penal Code.
NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Wednesday extended interim protection from arrest to activist Teesta Setalvad in a case linked to the 2002 post-Godhra riots. The next hearing will be on July 19.
A bench of Justices B R Gavai, A S Bopanna and Dipankar Datta issued notice to the Gujarat government on the appeal filed by Setalvad against the Gujarat high court order.
At the outset, Additional Solicitor General SV Raju sought time from the top court, saying he needs time to translate documents. The bench agreed to his request and posted the matter for hearing on July 19.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-8052921-2’); });
The apex court on July 1 protected Setalvad from arrest and stayed for a week the high court order rejecting her plea for regular bail and asking her to surrender immediately in a case of alleged fabrication of evidence to frame innocent people in the post-Godhra riot cases.
Setalvad was arrested in June last year along with former Gujarat Director General of Police R B 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. She was released on interim bail on September 3.
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 (Modi).”
The fabrication of evidence case against Setalvad, Bhatt and Sreekumar was registered a day after the Supreme Court’s verdict in the Zakia Jafri case.
The apex court had dismissed a plea of Jafri, the wife of slain former MP Ehsan Jafri, challenging the Special Investigation Team’s (SIT) clean chit to 64 people, including then Chief Minister Narendra Modi, in the 2002 Gujarat riots case.
Earlier, the Ahmedabad sessions court had rejected the bail applications of Setalvad and Sreekumar.
Last month, the trial court rejected Sreekumar’s plea for discharge in the case.
Sreekumar is also out on interim bail granted by the high court.
Former IPS officer Sanjiv Bhatt, the third accused in the case, has not applied for bail.
Bhatt is already in jail for another criminal matter when he was arrested in this case.
The Ahmedabad city crime branch had registered a First Information Report (FIR) against Setalvad and two others under Indian Penal Code sections 468 (forgery for cheating) and 194 (fabricating false evidence with intent to procure conviction for capital offences) of the Indian Penal Code.
