Court allows addition of new sections in FIR against Teesta Setalvad

Ahmedabad

The court of Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate hearing the alleged embezzlement of charity funds case against controversial activist Teesta Setalvad and her husband Javed Anand, today allowed the Crime Branch to add section 467, 468 (pertaining to forgery) and 471 (fraudulently or dishonestly using a forged document as genuine) of IPC against the accused couple in the earlier FIR.

The crime branch through an affidavit of August 3, had requested the court to add the new sections in the FIR No-1/2014 filed against them.

Crime Branch Counsel Mr Ajay Choksi said that the court granted the permission after a brief hearing.

The new sections of the IPC which have been added in the FIR provides for the minimum punishment of seven and three years respectively when read with section 466 (Forgery of record of Court or of public register) and 470 (Forged document or electronic record), sources privy to matter said today.

Recently, Crime Branch filed an affidavit in the Supreme Court opposing the anticipatory bail of Teesta and her husband not only on the grounds of funds utilized by them for personal luxury such as wine, whisky, cake, sanitary napkins, bollywood Movie CDs etc but also for “evading disclosure norms laid down by statute to conceal the misappropriation, unilaterally altering the prescribed form (Schedule IX) of the Income and Expenditure Statement”. These two IPC sections are related to fabricating evidence, forgery and tempering with public documents, the sources said.

The new sections have been added in the light of this finding. The duo has been alleged with charges of misappropriating funds meant for the Gujarat riot victims.

– DeshGujarat