Teesta seeks anticipatory bail

Controversial NGO operator Teesta Setalvad has filed an anticipatory bail application in a local court here in connection with the criminal case against her former aide, Rais Khan, for fabrication of evidence.

Mr. Khan has alleged that the false affidavits, for which he is facing the case, were filed at her behest.

Additional Sessions Judge S.B. Gajare has scheduled the hearing on her application for July 27, said Ms. Setalvad’s lawyer S.M. Vora.

He said she had sought anticipatory bail in view of the allegations made by Mr. Khan. The Gujarat High Court early this month gave a go-ahead to the probe against Mr. Khan for fabricating evidence, rejecting his plea seeking quashing of FIR.

In December 2010, Justice S.H. Vohra who was hearing 2002 Naroda Gam riot case (11 persons were killed in the incident), ordered that an FIR be lodged against Mr. Khan “and his associates”, for allegedly manipulating some affidavits filed before the court.

Mr. Khan’s contention has been that he helped the witnesses prepare affidavits at the behest of Ms. Setalvad who heads the NGO Centre for Justice and Peace (CJP). Post-riots, Mr. Khan was working with her till January 2008.

In his application before the Naroda Gam court, Mr. Khan had said that he was merely an employee of the NGO, and his job was to take instructions from Ms. Setalvad, to contact riot victims or witnesses, and persuade them to join hands with it to file cases in the courts.

He argued that he had not manipulated any of the affidavits as alleged by some of the witnesses. He used to get fully prepared affidavits in English by e-mail from Ms. Setalvad which he got notarised by the witnesses, victims concerned and handed them back to Ms. Setalvad or the NGO’s lawyer, he said.

Ms. Setalvad is also an accused in the 2007 Pandarwada case where bodies of riot victims were exhumed by the NGO activists to prove that many more bodies had been buried there. Mr. Khan told police that it was done at her behest.