"Setback for Teesta Setalvad as Gujarat High Court Rejects Regular Bail Plea in 2002 Godhra Riots Case, Orders Immediate Surrender"
In a major blow to activist Teesta Setalvad, the Gujarat High Court has dismissed her application for regular bail in a case related to the alleged fabrication of documents to implicate high-ranking officials of the former Gujarat government in the 2002 Godhra riots. The decision was announced by Justice Nirzar Desai in open court.
"The application for regular bail has been rejected. As she has been on interim bail granted by the Supreme Court for the past year, she is ordered to surrender immediately to the investigating agency," stated Justice Desai.
Senior Advocate Mihir Thakore requested a 30-day stay on the order, but the Court denied the request. Setalvad was taken into custody the day after the Supreme Court made unfavorable remarks against her on June 24, 2022, while dismissing a plea by Zakia Jafri, the wife of the late Congress Member of Parliament Ehsan Jafri, who was killed during the 2002 Gujarat Riots.
During the plea dismissal, the Supreme Court criticized Setalvad and former Director General of Police Sreekumar, describing them as "disgruntled" and suggesting that they had jointly engaged in false revelations for sensationalism.
Consequently, Setalvad was arrested by the Gujarat Anti-Terrorism Squad in Mumbai and transported to Gujarat, while Sreekumar was also arrested in Gujarat. On July 30, 2022, an Ahmedabad sessions court denied bail to Setalvad, noting her apparent intention to "destabilize" the Gujarat government and defame the state for ulterior motives.
Setalvad then approached the Gujarat High Court, which issued a notice to the Special Investigation Team (SIT) to respond to her plea on August 2, before adjourning the hearing until September 19, 2022. Frustrated by the time gap, she subsequently approached the Supreme Court, which granted her interim bail on September 2 of the same year.
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TAGS: Teesta Setalvad Gujarat High Court regular bail 2002 Godhra riots immediate surrender setback dismissal fabricated documents Supreme Court adverse remarks Zakia Jafri Sreekumar arrest Gujarat Anti-Terrorism Squad interim bail plea notice Special Investigation Team (SIT) hearing.
