Court grants interim relief to activist Teesta Setalvad

A local court today granted interim relief to activist Teesta Setalvad after she moved an anticipatory bail plea following the deposition of a former employee of an NGO, founded by her, that he tampered with the affidavit of a 2002 post-Godhra riot victim at her behest.

The issue came to the fore after a post-Godhra riot victim Madina Pathan, whose affidavit claimed that she was allegedly raped and stabbed by rioters, told the Supreme Court-appointed Special Investigation Team that she was never raped but stabbed.

Pathan had claimed that she had no idea about the contents of the affidavit since it was in English.

Former employee of the NGO Citizens for Justice and Peace (CJP) Rais Khan's name had surfaced as one of the persons who could have possibly tampered with Madina's testimony.

Khan had in a statement, given recently before a magistrate in Gujarat which cannot be retracted, said whatever he did was at Setalvad's instance.

The court granted Setalvad interim relief till February 1.