Teesta Setalvad, an activist who was most active during the 2002 Gujarat riots, was recently granted bail by the Supreme Court.
The Supreme Court on Friday granted bail to activist Teesta Setalvad, who had remained in jail since July this year in relation to the charges filed against her in the 2002 Gujarat riots case, where she was accused of “fabricating evidence” and “conspiracy”.
Earlier, the Supreme Court had questioned the Gujarat government regarding the delay in the listing of Setalvad’s bail plea, and she was granted bail just one day later in the case. The court had said that there is "no offence in this case over the court which bail cannot be granted", that too when "she is a lady".
Who is Teesta Setalvad?
Teesta Setalvad is an activist and journalist who is a founding trustee and secretary of the NGO Citizens for Justice and Peace (CJP). The NGO was established right after the 2002 Gujarat riots and provided legal and financial support to the victims of the riots.
Setalvad became a prominent face in standing up for the victims of the Gujarat riots and pushed the Supreme Court into launching an SIT probe into the post-Godhra violence six years later. A series of allegations were also launched against her in the Gujarat riots.
Timeline of Teesta Setalvad’s case
Back in 2002, Teesta Setalvad started representing several victims of the Gujarat riots and approached the court to bring justice to those who had lost their homes and families in the violence. She had also started an NGO and began a fundraiser to convert the Gulbarg society into a memorial after the massacre, where Ehsan Jafri was also killed.
Teesta Setalvad, along with several others, was accused of embezzlement when she raised over Rs 3 crore to turn the Gulbarg society into a memorial for the victims, which never actually happened. She was also accused of fabricating evidence and witness tampering in another case related to the Gujarat riots.
According to reports, Setalvad was accused of paying Zaheera Sheikh Rs 1.8 million in 2005 for her testimony in the Best Bakery case, which led to the transfer of the case outside Gujarat.
Setalvad was also accused of “cooking up stories” and “spicing up violent incidents” in the 2002 Gujarat riots, including an incident of a pregnant Muslim woman being gang-raped and her fetus removed using sharp weapons, which was found fabricated by an SIT probe.
Further, Teesta Setalvad has been accused of “fabricating evidence” and turning witnesses to give false accounts to the courts in relation to the 2002 Gujarat riots. She was also accused of “conspiracy” to demean India’s image, as well as Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s reputation.
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 "2002 Gujarat riots: Know timeline of Teesta Setalvad case, why activist was booked for 'fabricating evidence'")
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