The Supreme Court granted interim protection to social activist Teesta Setalvad, whose regular bail was rejected by the Gujarat High Court today in a case of alleged fabrication of evidence in relation to the 2002 Gujarat riots. High Court had asked her to surrender immediately.
In a special sitting, a three-judge bench of Justices BR Gavai, AS Bopanna and Dipankar Datta stayed for seven days the order of the Gujarat High Court which asked her to surrender immediately while rejecting her regular bail plea.
Granting interim protection from arrest for seven days to Setalvad, the bench said, “The single judge ought to have granted some time… We stay the order of the single bench for a period of one week.”
While giving the judgement Supreme Court observed that “we are sorry to say the single judge was totally wrong in not granting interim protection even for one week.”
When this court has granted interim bail, extending it by a week would have been ideal, observed Supreme Court.
Solicitor General said that it’s not an ordinary case; somebody takes institutions for a joy ride. The country and state were maligned for decades. She wrote to Geneva, the SG said.
Supreme Court asked Solicitor General, “Her conduct may be reprehensible, but today we are considering whether a person should be stripped of liberty even for a day?”
Supreme Court further observed that she was on bail for 10 months and asked about the urgency in taking her into custody?
“Will the skies fall if interim protection granted… We are taken by surprise by what the High Court has done. What is the alarming urgency?” asked Supreme Court.
In the evening Supreme Court’s two-judge bench of Justices Abhay S Oka and Prashant Kumar Mishra differed on granting interim protection to her and referred the matter to Chief Justice of India to constitute a larger bench. (ANI)
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