New Delhi, August 22
The Supreme Court on Monday issued notice to the Gujarat government on the plea of activist Teesta Setalvad — arrested for allegedly fabricating evidence to frame “innocent people” in the 2002 riots cases.
A Bench led by Justice UU Lalit asked the state of Gujarat to serve a copy of the petition to the state’s standing counsel and listed the matter for August 25.
The Gujarat High Court on August 3 had issued a notice to the state government on the bail plea of Setalvad and fixed the plea for hearing on September 19.
Earlier, a sessions court at Ahmedabad had on July 30 dismissed the bail pleas of Setalvad and former Director General of Police RB Sreekumar in the case, saying releasing them would send a message to wrongdoers that a person could level allegations with impunity and get away with it.
Setalvad and Sreekumar were both arrested in June for allegedly fabricating evidence to frame “innocent people” in the post-Godhra riots cases.
Former IPS officer Sanjiv Bhatt, the third accused in the case, has not applied for bail. Bhatt was already in jail in another criminal case.
On behalf of the petitioner, senior counsel Kapil Sibal submitted that Setalvad was arrested on June 25 and since has been in custody. Her bail plea was denied by the trial court and the high court was scheduled to take it up on September 19.
At the outset, Justice Lalit asked Sibal if he had any objection to him hearing the matter as he represented some of the accused in the Sohrabuddin murder matter. It went on to hear the matter after Sibal said he had no objection.
