Teesta Setalvad Ahmed Patel: On Friday, July 15, the Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing allegations of ‘construction of evidence’ and ‘conspiracy’ in connection with the 2002 riots against activist Teesta Setalvad alleged that she was part of a “larger conspiracy”, Which was done at his behest. Late Congress leader Ahmed Patel.
At Ahmed Patel’s Behest, Teesta Setalvad Was Part of Conspiracy
In its affidavit, the SIT further alleged that there was a “conspiracy” to dismiss the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government in the state after the 2002 Godhra riots.
Patel was the political advisor to Congress President Sonia Gandhi at that time. He succumbed to COVID-19 in November 2020.
The Gujarat Police also opposed the bail plea of activist Teesta Setalvad on Friday, 15 July.
Additional Sessions Judge D.D. Thakkar took the SIT’s reply on record and posted the hearing on the bail application on Monday, July 18.
Setalvad has been arrested along with former IPS officers RB Sreekumar and Sanjeev Bhatt on charges of fabricating evidence to implicate innocent people in Gujarat riots cases.
“The political objective of the applicant (Setalvad) in carrying out this grand conspiracy was to sack or destabilize the elected government.
He obtained illegal financial and other benefits from a rival political party in return for his efforts to falsely implicate innocent persons in Gujarat.” and received awards, the SIT affidavit said.
The statements of two witnesses taken during the ongoing investigation were presented in the affidavit of the Gujarat SIT on Friday.
Referring to the statements of a witness, the SIT alleged that Setalvad received Rs 30 lakh after the 2002 Godhra riots at Patel’s behest.
The SIT further claimed that Setalvad used to meet leaders of a major national party in power at that time in Delhi to implicate the names of senior leaders of the BJP government in riot cases.
According to the Indian Express, the affidavit claimed that “the money given to the applicant (Setalvad) was not part of any relief-related fund as all the relief material in the form of food items and other essential items was spread across Gujarat by a single Gujarat”.
The Relief Committee. The presence of several political leaders, including Late Shri Ahmed Patel, at Shahibagh Circuit House during this period of the meeting is corroborated by the material collected in the investigation.
It added that they “further indicate that the meetings were also held at the New Delhi residence of Late Mr. Ahmed Patel, where the applicant (Setalvad) and other accused persons, Sanjeev Bhatt, met Mr. Ahmed Patel, almost four months after the riots. In secret manner”.
Patel’s daughter Mumtaz Patel told the newspaper that the SIT’s allegations were “really unfortunate.” “I would just like to say that it is inappropriate but very easy to use the name of a dead person for headlines and sensationalism.
He is not here to defend himself and as a family, we have no further comment because we were not involved in their work.”
Gujarat Congress spokesperson Manish Doshi told Hindustan Times that he was not fully aware of the contents of the affidavit. “We will be able to comment only after studying the matter thoroughly,” he said.
A Congress leader in Delhi told the daily on condition of anonymity: “The dead don’t tell tales.”
Last month, Teesta Setalvad was arrested a day after the Supreme Court dismissed Zakia Jafri’s plea and upheld the clean chit given to the then Chief Minister Narendra Modi and others in the Gujarat riots case.
He was booked along with Sreekumar and Bhatt under sections 468 (forgery) and 194 (granting or fabricating false evidence with intent to secure a conviction for a capital offence) of the Indian Penal Code. Teesta Setalvad Ahmed Patel!