New Delhi, Aug 20 (UNI) The Supreme Court on Tuesday allowed human rights activist Teesta Setalvad to travel to Selangor, Malaysia from August 31 to September 10 to attend a conference on Non-Discrimination.
A Division Bench comprising Justice B.R. Gavai and Justice KV Viswanathan granted permission to Setalwad on the condition that she deposits a solvent security of Rs 10 lakh.
The bench also directed Setalvad to file an undertaking in the form of an affidavit stating that she will return after the conference end and deposit the passport to the investigating agency on her return.
Solicitor General Tushar Mehta appearing on behalf of Gujarat police opposed Setalvad’s plea and said, “ Let her tell the details of the conference and the real purpose of the visit also.
Senior Advocate Kapil Sibal appearing for Setalvad said he was only seeking relaxation of the conditions that were imposed earlier that she had to surrender the passport.
It is a respected organisation which is organising the event, Sibal said.
The SG said,” We have serious apprehensions that Zakir Naik stays there.
The Bench then asked Setalvad to file a solvent surety of Rs 10 lakhs and return her passport after the conference end.
The Bench was initially inclined to order a lower surety amount but SG said Rs 25,000 would be ‘nothing for her’.
Sibal pointed out that her accounts were frozen.
The Court’s order came on Setalvad plea in which she said that she has received an invitation as a Panellist for the Anti-Racism National ’12th National Conference on Non- Discrimination’ organised by Pusat KOMAS.
The case dates back to the year 2023, Setalvad was granted regular bail in the Gujarat police case over the alleged fabrication of evidence in the 2002 riots.
A bench comprising Justice BR Gavai, Justice AS Bopanna and Justice Dipankar Datta had quashed the Gujarat High Court’s order which denied her regular bail.
One of the conditions imposed by the Apex Court for bail was that Setalvad’s passport would continue to be in the custody of the Sessions Court.
