SC disposes of activist Teesta Setalvad’s application seeking passport release

The Supreme Court disposed of Setalvad’s application seeking release of her passport, directing that she may file a fresh plea with an itinerary for foreign travel; the court added that, for passport renewal, it would consider the issue when raised and would not delay the fundamental right to travel.

The Supreme Court granted Teesta Setalvad regular bail in the case and directed that her passport, already surrendered, remain with the Sessions Court; the bench stated custodial interrogation was unnecessary and allowed the police to seek cancellation of bail if conditions were violated.

The Gujarat High Court issued an order on July 1, 2023, which was later quashed by the Supreme Court in the subsequent proceedings concerning Setalvad’s case.

The Supreme Court delivered a verdict in Zakia Jafri’s plea for a larger investigation into the 2002 Gujarat riots; this verdict led to the state government filing a case against Teesta Setalvad and the arrests connected to the case, including others named in the article.

Following the verdict, the state government filed a case against Teesta Setalvad and she was arrested; arrests of Sanjiv Bhatt and RB Sreekumar by Gujarat police were also noted in connection with the case.

In June 2022, the Supreme Court questioned Zakia Jafri for the audacity to challenge the SIT’s integrity and indicated that those involved in such abuse of process should be in the dock and proceeded against in accordance with law.