Supreme Court seeks Gujarat govt's reply on activist Teesta Setalvad's bail plea

The Supreme Court has sought a response from the Gujarat state government over activist Teesta Setalvad's bail plea.

A bench headed by Justice U U Lalit posted the matter for hearing on Thursday, August 25.

The Mumbai-based activist was arrested in a case of conspiracy and fabrication of evidence related to 2002 Gujarat riots. 

In her plea, Setalvad said it was being filed against the final judgment and order dated July 30, passed by the Additional Principal Sessions Judge, City Civil and Sessions Court, Ahmedabad, "refusing to grant bail to the petitioner", and the August 3 order of Gujarat High Court, which had fixed "an extremely long date in a matter which is about personal liberty"

The Ahmedabad sessions court had rejected the bail applications of Setalvad and retired Gujarat DGP R B Sreekumar on July 30, saying that releasing them on bail would "impliedly encourage to the wrongdoers that in spite of doing such type of accusations against the then CM and others, the court has lightly enlarged the accused on bail".

Following this, the activist moved the High Court, which posted the matter for hearing on September 19 by when the state was expected to respond to the bail plea.

Setalvad, along with Sreekumar, was arrested on June 25, a day after the Supreme Court in its verdict upheld the clean chit by the special investigation team (SIT) to then Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi in the 2002 Gujarat riots, dismissing a petition by Zakia Jafri, wife of slain Congress MP Ahsan Jafri. Setalvad, Sreekumar and third co-accused former IPS officer Sanjiv Bhatt, who was arrested earlier, were shown as witnesses in Jafri's 2006 complaint.