The Supreme Court on Wednesday confirmed an order from 2015 that had granted interim anticipatory bail to activist Teesta Setalvad and her husband Javed Anand in a case pertaining to the alleged misappropriation of funds, Live Law reported.
The top court had granted them interim anticipatory bail on February 12, 2015. A bench headed by Justice SK Kaul on Wednesday noted that the chargesheet in the case has not yet been filed and directed that the pre-arrest bail order should continue.
The complaint against Setalvad and Anand alleges that they misappropriated funds collected to build a “Museum of Resistance” at the Gulbarg Housing Society in Ahmedabad. The residential area was one of the places where communal violence had taken place killing 69 people.
The Supreme Court also disposed of another petition by Setalvad demanding that remarks made by the Gujarat High Court while granting her anticipatory bail in a separate case be expunged, according to PTI. “It is trite to say that any observation made at the stage of bail can hardly have any influence on the trial of the matter,” the court said. “We are not required to say anything more.”
The second case pertains to allegations that Setalvad and Anand misused grants of Rs 1.4 crore from the Union government through their non-governmental organisation Sabrang Trust between 2008 and 2013.
The Gujarat Police alleged that the funds were collected ostensibly to help the victims of the 2002 riots in the state, but were diverted for other purposes.
Additional Solicitor General SV Raju told the court that the chargesheet in the case could not be filed as Setalvad was not cooperating with the investigation.
The Supreme Court then directed Setalvad and Anand to cooperate with the police in its investigation.
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