Teesta Setalvad Granted Permission to Travel Abroad for Anti-Racism Conference

The Supreme Court has allowed human rights activist Teesta Setalvad to travel to Malaysia for a conference, with certain conditions including a Rs 10 lakh surety. Setalvad, on bail for charges related to the 2002 Gujarat riots, must return her passport post-conference.

The Supreme Court on Tuesday granted human rights activist Teesta Setalvad permission to travel abroad to attend a conference. A bench comprising Justices BR Gavai and KV Viswanathan allowed Setalvad to travel to Malaysia from August 31 to September 10, under the condition of furnishing a solvent surety of Rs 10 lakh.

The bench also instructed Setalvad to provide an undertaking with detailed travel plans and mandated that she return her passport after the conference concludes. Senior advocate Kapil Sibal, representing Setalvad, informed the apex court that the activist sought a relaxation of her bail terms to attend the anti-racism conference in Malaysia.

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta emphasized that certain conditions ensuring Setalvad's return to India should be imposed, given her current bail status in connection with a criminal case alleging a conspiracy to defame the State of Gujarat and former Chief Minister Narendra Modi regarding their management of the 2002 Gujarat riots.

Last year, the Supreme Court granted regular bail to Setalvad after she contested a Gujarat High Court order rejecting her bail and requesting her surrender. Setalvad was apprehended by the Gujarat Police on June 25, 2022, based on a First Information Report (FIR) filed by the Ahmedabad Detection of Crime Branch (DCB), accusing her of conspiring to falsely implicate innocent individuals in the context of the 2002 Gujarat riots.

(With inputs from agencies.)