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Journalism of Courage
Mumbai-based activist Teesta Setalvad recently moved the Gujarat High Court seeking the quashing of an FIR lodged against her and two others – former DGP R B Sreekumar and former IPS officer Sanjiv Bhatt – on charges of fabricating evidence in relation to the 2002 Gujarat riots.
After Setalvad moved the application before the Gujarat HC on July 26, the registrar judicial on July 31 directed the removal of office objections and stated that the matter be circulated for listing before the Court as soon as the office objections are removed. Office objections are raised when the prescribed format of the petition/application is not complied with.
Earlier on July 19, the Supreme Court had granted Setalvad relief by allowing her bail, and the next day on July 20, an Ahmedabad court had refused to discharge Setalvad from the charges, observing that “there is prima facie evidence” against her to frame the charges.
Setalvad is facing charges under Sections 468 (forgery for purpose of cheating), 469 (forgery for purpose of harming reputation), 471 (using as genuine a forged document or electronic record), 194 (giving or fabricating false evidence with intent to procure conviction of capital offence), 211 (false charge of offence made with intent to injure), 218 (public servant framing incorrect record or writing with intent to save person from punishment or property from forfeiture) and 120B (criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code.
The FIR was lodged by the Detection of Crime Branch police station in Ahmedabad. As per the chargesheet in the case, Setalvad allegedly tried to implicate the then Gujarat chief minister (now PM Narendra Modi), higher officials of the state government, and top leaders of the BJP for the large-scale deaths in the 2002 communal riots by instituting a false case with false evidence.
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