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Teesta's arrest: An act of vindictiveness

The message of the action against the three is that those who criticise the government can expect action against them in one form or the other
Last Updated 29 June 2022, 05:51 IST

The cases filed by the Gujarat police against activist Teesta Setalvad and former state DGP R B Sreekumar will be considered as vindictive action taken by the police and the state administration against the two. Both had criticised the handling of the 2002 communal riots in the state by the police and the then state administration and pursued cases against them. Setalvad was party to a case filed by Zakia Jafri against the clean chit given to the police and the administration by a Special Investigation Team (SIT) which had probed some riot-related cases. The case was dismissed by the Supreme Court last week. Setalvad has also helped many victims and survivors of the riots to file their cases for justice. Sreekumar was a whistle-blower who had made statements that sought to point to the alleged role of the then Chief Minister Narendra Modi and others in the riots. The FIR filed against the two has also named former IPS officer Sanjiv Bhatt, who is already in jail in another case.

The cases were filed in the wake of the judgement which mentioned the “effort of disgruntled officials of the state…to keep the pot boiling, obviously for ulterior design…all those involved in such abuse of process, need to be in the dock and proceeded with in accordance with law”. The police took its cue from the words of the court and filed the cases. It is ironic that people who stood with many victims of the riots and with people who went to court seeking justice have been proceeded against by the police on the basis of comments made by the court. It should be noted that the court had once called the charges against Teesta Setalvad in another case "spurious". All the accused have been charged with "criminal conspiracy, forgery and placing false evidence in court to frame innocent people.” The state government has formed an SIT to investigate the charges again the three “as per the directions of the Supreme Court.” The police plan to “find out the behind the scene criminal conspiracy and financial and other benefits, inducements for commission of various serious offences in collusion with other individuals, entities and organisations”.

The message of the action against the three is, as has been made clear in the past with various other arrests and legal actions, that those who criticise the government and its leaders and find fault with them can expect action against them in one form or the other. The Supreme Court’s comments are only incidental. The arrests have been condemned widely and calls have been made by many organisations and individuals for their release. People who approach the courts for justice should not be harassed and punished for their action.

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(Published 28 June 2022, 17:56 IST)

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