Why do you need Teesta in custody, Supreme Court asks

New Delhi, Feb 19: The Supreme Court has granted anticipatory bail to social activist Teesta Setalvad. This order would mean that Teesta cannot be arrested by the Gujarat Crime Branch.

The Supreme Court also directed Teesta to furnish a list of all the donors from whom money had been collected for the museum. Further, the apex court also directed her to cooperate with the investigation.

The Supreme Court has questioned the Gujarat crime branch the need to undertake a custodial interrogation of social activist Teesta Setalvad.

A Division Bench comprising Justices Dipak Mishra and Adarsh Kumar Goel asked the Gujarat crime branch as to why it needed her in custody to question her.

New Bench formed to hear the case

When Teesta moved the Supreme Court seeking anticipatory bail, the matter was heard by a Division Bench comprising S J Mukhopadhya and N V Ramana.

The Bench while staying the arrest of Teesta and others had said that it was not even a case for quashing the FIR while also pointing out that the allegations against her were grave.

The Bench had also said that they must surrender and seek regular bail. The Bench had also warned against bringing politics into the case when Teesta's counsel Kapil Sibal alleged a political conspiracy.

We will not be moved by the names and persons and the matter will be treated like that of any other citizen of the country, the earlier Bench had said.

The allegation

Teesta Setalvad and others had been booked by the Gujarat Crime Branch on charges of cheating and breach of trust. It was alleged that they had collected money from the Gujarat riot victims on the pretext of constructing a museum at the Gulbarg society.

However the museum never came up and this prompted one of the donors to file a complaint of cheating. The Gujarat High Court had last week rejected her anticipatory bail plea paving the way for her arrest.

She however moved the Supreme Court and obtained a stay.

OneIndia News