On Sunday, a magistrate’s court in Ahmedabad detained activist Teesta Setalwad and former Gujarat DGP RB Shreekumar to police custody for four days for alleged evidence forgery in the Gujarat riots larger conspiracy case. They were apprehended by Gujarat Police yesterday.
While Teesta was detained in Mumbai and brought to Ahmedabad by the Gujarat ATS, Sreekumar was nabbed at his home in Gandhinagar. They were apprehended when Ahmedabad Crime Branch Inspector DB Barad filed a FIR against them following the Supreme Court ruling that cleared Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the 2002 riot charges. The petition was filed with “ulterior motives” to “keep the pot boiling,” according to the Supreme Court.
The Court further stated that individuals who misused the legal system should face consequences. The Supreme Court noted in its ruling that a “coalesced effort” of dissatisfied Gujarat officials and others was making fake spectacular revelations, which the Gujarat SIT “exposed.”
Speaking to reporters earlier, Ahmedabad DCP (crime) Chaitanya Mandalik stated that the FIR was lodged in response to the Supreme Court’s statement that “all those involved in such abuse of process, need to be in the dock and proceeded with in accordance with law.”
Mandalik had also stated that both Teesta and Shreekumar were refusing to cooperate with the inquiry and that the police would seek 14 days in detention. The three are charged with forgery, fabricating evidence to get a death penalty conviction, and criminal conspiracy.
The Gujarat police complaint names Setalvad, retired IPS officer RB Sreekumar, and imprisoned former DIG (Gujarat) Sanjeev Bhatt, charging forgery (468,471), fake evidence (194), conspiracy (120B), forging documents (218), and false allegations (211). Bhatt is currently serving a life sentence in prison for custodial death.