Trio accused of fabricating evidence in 2002 riots case

Trio accused of fabricating evidence in 2002 riots case

Trio accused of fabricating evidence in 2002 riots case

A Special Investigation Team of the Gujarat Police has filed chargesheet against activist Teesta Setalvad, retired DGP R.B. Sreekumar and former IPS officer Sanjiv Bhatt in a case of allegedly fabricating evidence to frame innocent people in connection with the 2002 Gujarat riots. 

The SIT filed the chargesheet in an Ahmedabad court on Tuesday, the Indian Express reported.

The Ahmedabad crime branch had registered a First Information Report against Setalwad, Sreekumar and Bhatt a day after the Supreme Court dismissed a petition challenging the clean chit given by the SIT to then Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi and others in the riots cases. Both Setalwad and Sreekumar were taken into custody on June 25 while Bhatt is already in jail after being convicted in a custodial death case in 1990.

The Supreme Court on September 2 granted bail to Setalwad, observing that she is entitled the relief of interim bail during the pendency of consideration of her application which is pending before the Gujarat High Court. Sreekumar has also filed a bail application in the high court, which is due to be heard on September 28.

Earlier, while dismissing the petition filed by Zakia Jafri whose husband and former Congress MP Ehsan Jafri was killed during the riots, the SC had observed that "it appears to us that a coalesced effort of the disgruntled officials of the State of Gujarat along with others was to create sensation by making revelations which were false to their own knowledge."

All those involved in such abuse of process "need to be in the dock and proceed in accordance with law," the supreme court had said.

Setalvad and other two were subsequently booked under Indian Penal Code sections 468, 471 (forgery), 194 (giving or fabricating false evidence with intent to procure conviction of capital offence), 211 (institute criminal proceedings to cause injury), 218 (public servant framing incorrect record or writing with intent to save person from punishment or property from forfeiture), and 120 (B) (criminal conspiracy).

With PTI inputs

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