New Delhi: Activist Teesta Setalvad scored a major reprieve today from Supreme Court as it granted her bail. The activist was asked to surrender immediately earlier this month by the Gujarat High Court in a case linked to 2002 Gujarat riots.
Justices BR Gavai, AS Bopanna and Dipankar Datta set aside the order of the Gujarat High Court rejecting her plea for regular bail amid an investigation for allegedly fabricating evidence in cases related to the riots.
A bench led by Justice BR Gavai said that Ms. Setalvad shall continue to enjoy bail in accordance with a September 2, 2022 decision of the Supreme Court. “The passport of the appellant was already surrendered and will be in custody of session court. The appellant shall not make any attempt to influence witnesses and shall stay away from them”, the bench said.
Further, Supreme court criticised the July 1 judgement to be full of contradictions. Ms. Setalvad was taken into custody on June 25 last year along with former Gujarat General of Police RB Sreekumar and ex-IPS officer Sanjiv Bhatt in a case registered by the Ahmedabad crime branch polive for allegedly fabricating evidence.