Political News Hubb
Advertisement Banner
  • Home
  • News
  • Political
  • Contact
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
  • Political
  • Contact
No Result
View All Result
Wellnessnewshubb
No Result
View All Result
Home Political

Indian activist Teesta Setalvad gets bail in 2002 riots case | Human Rights News

admin by admin
September 2, 2022
in Political


The prominent Modi critic was arrested by Gujarat police in June for allegedly coaching witnesses and forging documents in cases related to the riots.

India’s Supreme Court has ordered the release on interim bail of a prominent activist and harsh critic of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, more than two months after she was arrested on suspicion of faking documents about religious riots in 2002.

Teesta Setalvad was arrested from her residence in Mumbai on June 25 by police from Modi’s home state of Gujarat and has since been under arrest in the state.

“Considering the facts, including that she is a lady and submissions of other accused be considered purely on their merits, this court grants her interim bail,” Chief Justice Uday Umesh Lalit said in his order on Friday.

The interim bail granted by the Supreme Court will stand until a state court decides on Setalvad’s bail plea. The court asked Setalvad to surrender her passport and cooperate with the police during the investigation.

Protesters in Mumbai demand the release of activist Teesta Setalvad [File: Francis Mascarenhas/Reuters]

Setalvad is accused of tutoring witnesses, forging documents and fabricating evidence in cases pertaining to the riots in Gujarat when Modi was state chief minister.

In court, Setalvad’s lawyer said all cases against her were malicious and false. She was not formally charged by the police.

Opposition politicians and rights activists had criticised Setalvad’s arrest, saying it was a political vendetta by Modi’s government.

Modi was accused of failing to stop the rioting when nearly 2,000 people – most of them Muslims – died under his watch.

He denied the accusations and was exonerated in a Supreme Court inquiry in 2012. That decision has effectively closed any further legal challenges to Modi.

Setalvad rose to prominence during her long legal campaign for Zakia Jafri, whose husband, Ehsan Jafri, was burned alive by a Hindu mob in 2002. Ehsan Jafri, a former member of parliament, was a prominent Muslim politician and had offered refuge to fleeing Muslims during the riots.

Jafri, now aged 85, has sought to establish that the riots were the result of a high-level conspiracy involving Modi. It was a petition by Jafri challenging a report by a special investigation team that cleared Modi of any complicity that was dismissed by the Supreme Court in June.

Over the years, Setalvad has been investigated by various government agencies for allegedly misappropriating funds meant for riot victims. She has denied any wrongdoing and that case is pending in court.

The shadow of the Gujarat riots continues to hang over India after nearly 20 years.

Earlier this month, 11 Hindu men who had been jailed for life for gang-raping Bilkis Bano, a Muslim woman, during the riots were released on suspended sentences, prompting protests by rights activists.

Bano, who is now in her 40s, was pregnant when she was brutally raped. Seven members of the woman’s family, including her three-year-old daughter, were also killed in the violence.

Officials in Gujarat, where Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) holds power, have said that the men’s application for release was granted because they had completed over 14 years in jail.

After the men’s release was met with outrage, the Supreme Court last week directed the Gujarat government to look into the issue.



Source link

Tags: AsiaHuman RightsIndiaNarendra ModiNewsReligion
Previous Post

Columbus police criticized over fatal shooting of young unarmed Black man | USA

Next Post

Hungary’s Orbán travels to Moscow for Gorbachev’s funeral – POLITICO

Next Post

Hungary’s Orbán travels to Moscow for Gorbachev’s funeral – POLITICO

Recommended

UN report: Ozone layer slowly healing, set to mend within decades | Climate Crisis News

4 weeks ago

Watch Chuck Todd Stop Rep. Nancy Mace As She Lies About Trump Classified Docs

2 weeks ago

Taliban bans women from attending universities in Afghanistan : Peoples Dispatch

1 month ago

Katie Porter Gets A Jump On Other Democratic Candidates By Announcing 2024 Senate Run

3 weeks ago

It Seems Like Trump Is Starting To Realize That He Could Be Criminally Indicted

2 months ago

Shelter asking people not to surrender cats during outbreak of feline disease | Local News

5 months ago

Political-white-vertical

© 2022 Political News Hubb All rights reserved.

Use of these names, logos, and brands does not imply endorsement unless specified. By using this site, you agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms & Conditions.

Navigate Site

  • Home
  • News
  • Political
  • Contact

Newsletter Sign Up.

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
  • Political
  • Contact

© 2022 Political News Hubb All rights reserved.