The Gujarat Police opposed journalist and activist Teesta Setalvad’s bail plea on grounds that she was part of a “larger conspiracy” carried out by late Congress leader Ahmed Patel to topple the Narendra Modi-led BJP government in the state after the 2002 riots.  

Teesta Setalvad was arrested on June 25 after Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi was given a clean chit by the Supreme Court on June 24 over the 2002 Gujarat riots cases.

Setalvad, whose paternal grandfather Chimanlal Harilal Setalvad was the Attorney General of India, was arrested by the Ahmedabad crime branch for conspiring to falsely implicate people in connection with the Gujarat riots. The court took note of the police’s opposition and scheduled the bail hearing for Monday.

Setalvad has been arrested along with former IPS officers Sanjiv Bhatt and RB Sreekumar for allegedly fabricating evidence in Gujarat riots cases. “The political objective of the applicant (Setalvad) while enacting this larger conspiracy was dismissal or destabilisation of the elected government… She obtained illegal financial and other benefits and rewards from rival political party in lieu of her attempts to wrongly implicate innocent persons in Gujarat,” the SIT affidavit said. 

Hindustan Times reported that Setalvad held meetings with Patel and also received Rs 5 lakh at the first instance from a witness on the instructions of the Congress leader, the committee said. She received  Rs 25 lakh more two days later, again at the behest of Patel, the SIT said. 

The BJP has jumped on the opportunity with the police accusing Setalvad of hatching a conspiracy in cahoots with a Congress leader. BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra said, “The conspiracy to malign the image of Gujarat was hatched at the behest of Sh Ahmed Patel. Ahmed Patel ji was the Political Adviser of Congress President Smt Sonia Gandhi. BUCK STOPS AT THE DOOR OF SONIA GANDHI! (sic)”.

The Congress has strongly refuted the charges. A statement issued by Jairam Ramesh, Congress MP, says: “The Indian National Congress categorically refutes the mischievous charges manufactured against the late Shri Ahmed Patel. This is part of the Prime Minister’s systematic strategy to absolve himself of any responsibility.”

The Gujarat riots took place in the year 2002. Over 1,000 people were killed in the violence.