Setalvad’s arrest imminent
mumbai — A Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) special court here on Friday rejected the anticipatory bail plea of social activist Teesta Setalvad and her husband Javed Anand, paving the way for her immediate arrest.
Soon after, her lawyers moved the Bombay High Court for relief.
Setalvad, Anand and some others have been charged by the CBI with fraud and irregularities under the Foreign Contributions Regulation Act on foreign donations received by the activist’s Sabrang NGO.
On July 8, the CBI had registered a case against them for accepting foreign donations from the Ford Foundation without seeking prior permission of the concerned authorities.
Last week, the CBI followed this up with raids at Setalvad’s residence and offices in Mumbai for allegedly diverting funds from the foreign donors to her organisation.
The Gujarat government has already moved the Supreme Court seeking cancellation of interim bail to social activists Teesta Setalvad and her husband Javed Anand. The government’s latest move against the couple came for alleged noncooperation with police in the investigation of alleged misuse of funds collected by NGO Sabrang Trust to set up a museum at Gulbarga Society. On February 19, the apex court restrained Gujarat Police from arresting Setalvad and her husband in connection with the alleged misuse of Sabrang Trust funds.
The restrain order was extended on March 19 when the apex court referred to a larger bench the question if the personal liberty and requirement of effective investigation, including custodial interrogation, leave scope for an anticipatory bail.
Seeking cancellation of the interim bail granted to Setalvad and Anand, the Gujarat government has contended that Setalvad and Anand needed to be subjected to custodial interrogation as their responses to queries by the state police were “stock and evasive”. —