The Supreme Court of India issued a significant judgment in the 2002 Gujarat riots case on Friday, dismissing the petition challenging the clean chit awarded to then-Chief Minister Narendra Modi and other matters related to the disturbance. The Supreme Court of India issued a significant judgment in the 2002 Gujarat riots case on Friday, dismissing the petition challenging the clean chit awarded to then-Chief Minister Narendra Modi and other matters related to the disturbance. The Gujarat anti-terrorism squad team arrived at the apartment of campaigner Teesta Setalvad in Mumbai on Saturday, just a day after the Court Ruling on the riots, and took her to the Santacruz police station. The move was taken after Union Minister Amit Shah stated in an interview that a Teesta Setalvad-run NGO provided the police with false material about the Gujarat riots of 2002.
Amit Shah remarked that he read the ruling very carefully and Teesta Setalvad’s name was clearly mentioned in the verdict. He further added that he doesn’t remember the name of the NGO she was running but it had given the police false information about the riots.
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Who is Teesta Setalvad?
Teesta Setalvad is an activist and journalist who serves as a founding trustee and secretary of the non-governmental organisation Citizens for Justice and Peace (CJP). The NGO was founded immediately following the 2002 Gujarat riots and provides legal and financial assistance to riot victims. Setalvad rose to prominence by advocating for the victims of the Gujarat riots, prompting the Supreme Court to order an SIT investigation into the post-Godhra carnage six years later. During the Gujarat riots, a number of allegations were levelled against her. Setalvad also lodged several accusations against Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who was the Chief Minister of Gujarat at the time. She also took the lead in representing Zakia Jafri’s case, in which she requested an FIR against PM Modi for his alleged complicity in the Gujarat riots that killed her husband, Congress leader Ehsan Jafri.
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Why was Teesta Setalvad detained?
Teesta Setalvad was charged with several offences in 2006, including allegedly hurting religious sensibilities, forging fake evidence, and trespassing on burial grounds, among others. The BJP further chastised her for criticising Narendra Modi without “solid evidence” and for waging a defamation campaign against her.
The anti-terrorist squad team has now detained Setalvad for allegedly distributing false information on the Gujarat riots. Sambit Patra, a BJP spokesman, also claimed that she was paid a large quantity of money to wage a campaign against PM Modi and “defame” India. Teesta Setalvad was taken into custody by the Gujarat ATS in Mumbai on Saturday, and the Gujarat police crime branch made the arrest on Sunday.
On Sunday, the Gujarat ATS transferred her to the Ahmedabad crime branch in connection with a new case of forgery, criminal conspiracy, and insulting criminal proceedings to cause hurt filed against her. According to ANI, Gujarat police presented Setalvad before Metropolitan Magistrates Court at 3 p.m. to request 14-day imprisonment because she is not helping in the probe.
Featured Image Credits: TOI