Supreme Court Reevaluates Teesta Setalvad's Passport Plea

Teesta Setalvad's plea for the release of her passport, held as a bail condition, is referred to a three-judge Supreme Court bench. The case involves alleged fabrication of documents related to the post-Godhra riots. Previously, she was granted bail while contesting the Gujarat High Court's denial as 'perverse.'

The Supreme Court has referred activist Teesta Setalvad's application, seeking the release of her passport, to a three-judge bench. Setalvad's passport was originally deposited in court as a condition of her bail over allegations of fabricating documents in post-Godhra riot cases.

A bench comprising Justices Dipankar Datta and Satish Chandra Sharma instructed the registry to place the matter before Chief Justice of India, Surya Kant. This decision follows the earlier granting of regular bail to Setalvad by a three-judge panel, which dismissed the Gujarat High Court's denial of her bail as 'perverse' and 'contradictory'.

The Supreme Court previously found Setalvad's custodial interrogation unnecessary after a chargesheet had been filed, citing mostly documentary evidence. Setalvad, her counsel argues, was denied a fair hearing during the assertions made in the Zakia Jafri case, which implicated prominent figures in the 2002 Gujarat riots conspiracy.

(With inputs from agencies.)