Teesta, husband protected from arrest till Feb 19

The Supreme Court on Friday extended the protection from arrest granted to social activist Teesta Setalvad and her husband for six days in a case of alleged embezzlement of funds raised after the 2002 Gujarat riots.

A bench of Justices S J Mukhopadhaya and N V Ramana, however, told senior advocate Kapil Sibal, representing the petitioners, that the court was not going to quash the FIR in the case.

Sibal contended that it was not a case of custodial interrogation. He claimed that the Gujarat HC order of February 13, rejecting anticipatory bail plea, was passed without looking into the documents showing innocence of the accused.

“We will look into the allegations in the FIR mainly. Let it be very clear, we will be looking at the case not by names but like the case of any ordinary individual,” the bench said, restraining the police from arresting the couple till February 19, the next date of hearing.
In his submission, Sibal claimed that the police were trying to settle personal scores with the activist. “We are a few left in this country to have the courage to fight with the state,” Sibal submitted.

The bench, however, pointed out that it was a case where crores of rupees have been used for personal purpose in the name of religion. “We are not going into the politics. We are treating it like a case of an ordinary citizen. We are not going by the name and this petition we heard like any other individual,” the bench said.