Gujarat riots: SC grants interim bail to activist Teesta Setalvad, asks her to surrender passport

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Friday granted interim bail to activist Teesta Setalvad, arrested in June for allegedly fabricating evidence to frame "innocent people" in the 2002 Gujarat riots cases.

She has been asked to surrender her passport with the trial court, till the Gujarat high court decides on her regular bail plea. She has also been asked to cooperate with the investigating agency.

"The appellant has been in custody for more than two months and at this stage is certainly entitled the relief of interim bail during the pendency of consideration of her substantive application which is penidng before HC," the apex court observed while granting relief to Setalvad.

The court also said it has considered the matter only from the standpoint of interim bail and the Gujarat high court shall decide Teesta Setalvad's bail plea independently and uninfluenced by any observations made by the Supreme Court.

The matter had come up for hearing on Thursday as well, when CJI UU lalit orally observed that offences against Setalvad are normal IPC offences, having no bar on grant of bail.

"These are not offences like murder or bodily injury but based on documents like forgery etc. In these matters the normal idea is after normal police custody is over, there is nothing for the police to insist on custody," CJI Lalit had said.

The court had also expressed surprise at the delay in listing of Setalvad's bail plea by the Gujarat high court, that on August 3 issued a notice to the state government on the plea and fixed the matter for hearing on September 19.

"Give us instances where a lady accused in such cases has got such dates from high court. Either this lady has been made an exception. How can the court give this date? Is this standard practice in Gujarat?” an apparently displeased CJI had said.

Teesta Setalvad was arrested for allegedly fabricating evidence to frame "innocent people" in the 2002 Gujarat riots cases.

In response to her bail plea, the Gujarat government said that the activist had "enacted" the conspiracy along with other accused at the behest of a senior political leader.

A sessions court at Ahmedabad, on July 30, rejected the bail application of Setalvad.

On August 22, the Supreme Court had sought a response from the Gujarat government on the bail plea.