Ahmedabad: Controversial foreign funded NGO operator Teest Setalvad and former retired IPS RB Shrikumar are denied bail by the Sessions Court here in a case of conspiracy and fabrication of evidence related to the 2002 Gujarat riots.

The court said that releasing them on bail would “impliedly encourage to the wrongdoers that in spite of doing such type of accusations against the then CM and others, the court has lightly enlarged the accused on bail”.

Additional Sessions Judge D D Thakkar in the verdict stated that, “In (the) case on hand, the applicants-accused (Setalvad and Sreekumar) have in conspiracy with others with a view to defame the then CM (Modi) and others made accusations against government that post-Godhra riots were sponsored by the (Gujarat) government and thereby defamed the state not only in country but in world also and with ulterior motive thereby obtained personal goal and monetary benefit from one political faction as well as other countries…”.

The court said that “Zakia Jafri was guided by both these applicants-accused and others….It is also important to note that in the complaint of Jafri, the present applicant Sreekumar, Sanjiv Bhatt and others were shown as witnesses in that complaint (June 8, 2006), therefore, if the applicants-accused are enlarged on bail then it would impliedly encourage to the wrong does (sic, doers) that in spite of doing such type of accusations against the then CM and others, the court has lightly enlarged the accused on bail. Therefore, looking at the above facts and circumstance, even though the applicant is being a lady and another is a retired IPS officer and aged person, they are not required to be enlarged on bail.”

“Setalvad has been provided monetary fund by the political faction with a view to highlight the incident as if it is motivated and organized by the (then) government, though same has not been motivated ….. Both Setalvad, Sreekumar and others were actively involved in the conspiracy against the then CM and ministers, police officers as well as bureaucrat etc……. Setalvad had tried to pressurise the media” and “had written a letter to amicus curiae”, which showed that “she is having nature to derail the investigation in present case, if she is enlarged on bail”.