Gujarat HC rejects anticipatory bail plea of Teesta Setalvad in fraud case

Ahmedabad: The Gujarat High Court on Thursday rejected the anticipatory bail petitions filed by social activists Teesta Setalwad, her husband Javed Anand and others in a case related to alleged embezzlement of funds.

Justice JB Pardiwala had on January 30 reserved the order on the bail petitions filed by Setalwad, Anand, Tanvir Jafri (whose father Ehsan Jafri, former Congress MP, was killed during the 2002 Gujarat riots) and Firoz Gulzar, a resident of Gulberg Society here.

They are accused of misusing funds to the tune of Rs 1.51 crore. All the accused now face arrest.

At the last hearing, senior advocate Mahesh Jethmalani, who appeared for the prosecution, had put before the court the statements of Setalwad's former accountant Rais Khan who accused her and others of misusing the funds meant for the families of Gulberg Society riot victims.

Setalwad, who has been espousing the cause of the victims of 2002 Gujarat riots, and others, have contended that the case was filed against them with political motives and they had not misused the funds.

On March 25, last year, the sessions court had rejected their pre-arrest bail applications.

The crime branch had registered a first information report last January against Setalvad and others for allegedly usurping the money collected by them for building a riots museum at the Society. The plan to build a museum was cancelled later.

Twelve residents of the Society had alleged that Setalvad embezzled the funds.

Sixty-nine people, including Ehsan Jafri, were killed in a mob's attack on the society on February 28, 2002, following the Godhra train burning incident.