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Teesta Setalvad, a co-petitioner in the plea challenging the clean chit given to then CM Narendra Modi in the 2002 Gujarat riots case, has been detained by Gujarat Anti-Terrorism Squad in Mumbai. 

She was taken into custody based on a complaint by police inspector DB Barad. The complaint has been filed against Sreekumar, Sanjiv Bhatt and Setalvad on charges of forgery, criminal conspiracy and other relevant sections of Indian Penal Code.

According to the Indian Express, an ATS team reached Setalvad’s Mumbai residence in the afternoon and thereupon took her to Santacruz police station. 

Retaliating to this, Setalvad has also written a complaint against the Police Inspector and a lady inspector accompanying him, alleging that they entered her bedroom forcibly and assaulted her. She has added that they did not show her the FIR or warrant and has further stated that she got bruised during all this commotion.

Yesterday, the Supreme Court had dismissed the plea by Zakia Jafri, challenging the ‘clean chit’ given to then Chief Minister Narendra Modi by the Supreme Court appointed Special Investigation Team (SIT) in the riots that followed the Godhra Carnage at Gujarat in 2002.

On Teesta Setalvad, the court had taken note of the strong objections that SIT and state of Gujarat had to implead Teesta Setalvad as a party in the litigation. The judgment notes that the respondents had argued that “Teesta been vindictively persecuting this lis for her ulterior design by exploiting the emotions and sentiments of Zakia”.

Interestingly, the Supreme Court had in its concluding remarks stated that the proceedings have been pursued for the last 16 years to keep the pot boiling, for ulterior design. However, the court has observed that it does not wish to get into the locus of Teesta Setalvad (secretary of Citizens for Justice and Peace, an organisation allegedly formed to advocate for the victims of 2002 Gujarat riots) in the litigation and has kept it to be decided in an appropriate case.