SC permits Teesta Setalvad to travel to Amsterdam for film festival
New Delhi, Oct 22: The Supreme Court on Tuesday permitted activist Teesta Setalvad to travel between November 14 and November 24 to attend the International Documentary Film Festival in Amsterdam.
Setalvad had received an invitation from the organisers to attend the festival in her capacity as producer of the documentary film Cycle Mahesh.
A bench of Justices B R Gavai and K V Viswanathan allowed the plea filed by Setalvad and directed her to file an undertaking before it that she would return to India as scheduled and face trial.
"The applicant is, therefore, permitted to travel to Amsterdam, Netherlands, for a period of 11 days from November 14, 2024 to November 24, 2024. The applicant’s passport be returned to her so that she can travel abroad," the bench held.
The top court ordered Setalvad to furnish a solvent surety or a cash surety or a surety in the nature of fixed deposit receipt in the sum of Rs 10 lakh to the satisfaction of the sessions court, Bhadra, Ahmedabad.
"On her return from Amsterdam, Netherlands, the applicant shall re-surrender her passport to the trial judge," the bench said.
The apex court had in July, 2023, granted her regular bail in an alleged case of fabrication of documents to frame innocent people in the 2002 post-Godhra riots cases.
During the hearing on Tuesday, senior advocate Kapil Sibal, appearing for Setalvad, said she had filed an application seeking to travel abroad as the apex court had in July, 2023, directed for her passport to be in the custody of the sessions court.
"My documentary has been awarded in Amsterdam. I (Setalvad) am seeking your lordships permission to go to Amsterdam from November 14 to November 24," he informed the bench.
Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the Gujarat government, did not object to the plea.
Mehta said though the state government had no objection to Setalvad travelling abroad, it was necessary to impose certain conditions to ensure she faced the trial upon her return.
The top court had on August 20 allowed Setalvad to travel to Malaysia for a conference while directing for her passport to be returned to her.
On July 19, 2023, the apex court quashed the July 1 order of the Gujarat High Court, which had denied bail to Setalvad in the case.
Setalvad's passport, which she had already surrendered, was directed to remain in the custody of the sessions court, and she was ordered not to influence witnesses.
The top court had noted the submissions of Setalvad's counsel that the FIR against her was lodged following a judgment by the apex court on June 24, 2022 in the case of Zakia Jafri, who alleged a larger conspiracy behind the 2002 communal riots and challenged the high court's October 5, 2017 order rejecting her petition against the finding of the Supreme Court-appointed special investigation team.
Jafri is the widow of former Congress MP Ehsan Jafri, who was among those killed at the Gulberg Housing Society during the violence.
Setalvad was arrested a day after the apex court's judgment in the Zakia Jafri case.
The FIR against Setalvad and two others -- former IPS officer Sanjiv Bhatt and former DGP R B Sreekumar -- followed the apex court's observation that some people kept "the pot boiling" of the case "for ulterior design" and "all those involved in such abuse of process, need to be in the dock and proceeded with in accordance with the law".
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Two held for assaulting policemen over drinking in public
Bengaluru (PTI): Two police personnel on patrolling duty were allegedly abused and assaulted by a group of four youths after being asked not to consume alcohol in a public place, police said on Wednesday.
Two of the accused -- an engineering student and a software engineer, both in their 20s -- have been arrested in the case, they said.
Efforts are being made to nab the other two suspects, who have been identified, police added.
The incident occurred in the early hours of May 1, when the two personnel, attached to Amrutahalli police station, were patrolling on a two-wheeler near Akashavani Layout, they said.
According to police, while patrolling around 3 am, they noticed four youths who had stopped their car on the road and were consuming alcohol. When they were told to leave, as drinking alcohol in a public place is not permitted, one among them suddenly started abusing them.
When the policemen attempted to take out their lathi from the vehicle, the youths allegedly caught hold of them from behind, grabbed and dragged them, and tore one of their uniforms, the FIR stated.
They assaulted them with their hands and with rings worn, causing injuries to their faces. They also kicked them, causing pain, it said.
Thereafter, the accused allegedly snatched the key of their vehicle, pushed them to the ground, and fled the scene in their car at high speed, police said.
The policemen then immediately went to a hospital for treatment and lodged a complaint against four unknown youths, following which an FIR was registered against them under Sections 121(1) (voluntarily causing hurt or grievous hurt to deter a public servant from duty), 132 (assault or criminal force to deter a public servant from discharge of duty), 304 (snatching), and 3(5) (common intention) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
"We have arrested two people in the case and efforts are being made to nab the other two suspects who have been identified," a senior police officer said.
