On 15 June 2023, the Gujarat government submitted in the Gujarat High Court that Teesta Setalvad was used by politicians to tarnish the image of the Modi government following the 2002 Gujarat riots.
They alleged that Setalvad received ₹30 lakh from former Congress leader Ahmed Patel to overthrow the then Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi’s government.
The government made this statement while opposing Setalvad’s bail application, as she is accused of fabricating evidence in the 2002 Gujarat riots case. The state’s prosecution, represented by Public Prosecutor Mitesh Amin, argued against granting her bail, citing concerns about her potential to tamper with evidence in the case related to the 2002 riots.
During the court proceedings, Mitesh Amin also referred to the late Congress leader Ahmed Patel and claimed that Setalvad was a “tool” in the hands of certain politicians from a specific political party.
BIG BREAKING: Prosecution in the 2002 Gujarat riots case tells Gujarat HC that Congress leader Ahmed Patel had paid ₹30 lakhs to Teesta Setalvad, Sanjiv Bhatt & RB Sreekumar to hatch a ‘larger conspiracy’ behind the riots to pin the blame on the State Government at the time. pic.twitter.com/YhVAviS7tO
— Law Today (@LawTodayLive) June 14, 2023
Amin asserted that Setalvad utilized retired DGP RB Sreekumar and her co-accused former IPS Sanjiv Bhatt as “tools” to undermine the existing establishment in 2002 when Narendra Modi was the Chief Minister. He alleged that Setalvad and Patel conspired to implicate and depose the then-establishment during the Gujarat riots by providing financial support and orchestrating false FIRs against specific individuals.
Ahmed Patel who died of COVID in November 2020 was the political adviser and close confidante of Sonia Gandhi. He had apparently promised Teesta Setalvad that “money will continue to keep flowing”.
The prosecution will continue presenting its arguments on 22 June 2023. It’s worth mentioning that the Special Investigation Team (SIT), which investigated allegations of evidence fabrication in the Gujarat riot case, filed a chargesheet in 2022 against Teesta Setalvad, RB Sreekumar, and Sanjiv Bhatt. The chargesheet outlined Setalvad’s alleged plot to secure a death sentence for Narendra Modi, who was the Chief Minister at the time of the Gujarat riots.
The chargesheet also mentioned the manipulation of riot victims and their coerced statements, as well as Setalvad’s alleged misuse of funds collected in the name of the riots for personal purposes.
Teesta Setalvad, who claims to be an activist, was arrested in June 2022 by the Gujarat ATS on charges of forgery, witness tampering, and influencing the investigation of the 2002 Gujarat riots. These riots occurred in the aftermath of the Godhra Train burning incident, where a Muslim mob set fire to a Sabarmati Express bogey carrying passengers from Ayodhya, resulting in the death of 59 Hindus. Setalvad is accused of coaching witnesses and making baseless accusations in several cases related to the Gujarat riots in 2002.
The case against Setalvad was filed after the Supreme Court cleared Prime Minister Modi of any wrongdoing in the 2002 Gujarat riots. Setalvad was granted bail on September 2 by the Supreme Court.
(With inputs from OpIndia)
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