Teesta Setalvad gets relief from SC, hours after Gujarat HC asked her to surrender

A three-judge bench of the Supreme Court on July 1 granted social activist Teesta Setalvad one week of protection from being arrested by the Gujarat police. This decision relates to a case involving the alleged fabrication of evidence to falsely implicate innocent individuals in the post-Godhra riots cases of 2002.

The court has stayed the order of the Gujarat High Court, which had denied Setalvad regular bail and ordered her to surrender. This stay will remain in effect for one week. The three-judge bench has also directed that the case be brought before Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud so that a regular bench can be assigned to hear the case.

Earlier in the evening, a two-judge bench of the Supreme Court referred the case to Chief Justice DY Chandrachud after they disagreed on whether interim protection should be granted to Setalvad.

The hearing took place late on a Saturday evening following the Gujarat High Court's rejection of Setalvad's regular bail plea. Justice Nirzar Desai directed her to surrender immediately, as she had been out of jail on interim bail granted by the apex court in September of the previous year.