Gujarat govt files fresh affidavit in SC to seek nod for Teesta Setalvad's arrest

NEW DELHI: Days after the Central Bureau of Investigation raided activist Teesta Setalvad's Mumbai residence, the Gujarat government filed a fresh affidavit in the Supreme Court seeking permission to arrest her if needed and has urged the court to vacate an earlier order restraining the authorities from doing so.

The state government said Setalvad and her husband Javed Anand, activists seeking justice for victims of the 2002 Gujarat religious riots, weren't cooperating with the CBI, which was looking into the alleged embezzlement of funds from twin trusts set up by them to help those affected by the violence.

"There is a strong prima facie of criminal breach of trust, forgery and fabricating evidence on the part of petitioners... as trustees of the charitable trusts the petitioners have by diverse methods... misappropriated funds meant for the rehabilitation and welfare of the unfortunate victims of riots in Gujarat in Feb-March 2002 ... and converted them to their own use funds " it said.

The state said the couple had refused to cooperate with the investigating agency by not furnishing documents and were tampering with witnesses by inciting auditors not to cooperate. Their failure to furnish documents and entries indicated that they treated the charities as personal property and did not adhere to accounting standards, the state police said.