Supreme Court Grants Temporary Travel Relief To Activist Teesta Setalvad

Social activist Teesta Setalvad has been granted temporary relief by the Supreme Court, allowing her to travel to Selangor, Malaysia from August 31 to September 10. Setalvad is scheduled to attend an anti-racism conference during this period. The permission comes with several conditions imposed by the court.

The bench, comprising Justices BR Gavai and KV Vishwanathan, has stipulated that Setalvad must deposit a security amount of Rs 10 lakh. Additionally, Setalvad is required to adhere to the conditions set by the court during her trip and must return within the specified timeframe. Upon her return, she is mandated to submit her passport to the authorities.

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Setalvad recently secured regular bail from the Supreme Court in connection with a case involving the filing of a fake affidavit related to the 2002 Gujarat riots. On July 1, 2023, the High Court had revoked her bail and instructed her to surrender. She was initially arrested by the Gujarat Police on June 25, 2022, based on an FIR filed by the Ahmedabad Detection of Crime Branch. The charges against her include conspiring to falsely implicate individuals in connection with the riots.

In a previous ruling, an Ahmedabad sessions court had denied bail to Setalvad and her associate Shri Kumar on July 30, 2022, citing concerns that their release might send a wrong message about accountability.

Setalvad had alleged a large-scale conspiracy related to the Gujarat riots and challenged the Special Investigation Team’s (SIT) closure report, which had exonerated several individuals, including top Gujarat officials and then Chief Minister Narendra Modi. The Supreme Court, however, dismissed her petition, criticizing it for prolonging the matter unnecessarily.