New Delhi: The Gujarat Police on Friday opposed the bail plea of activist Teesta Setalvad, while claiming that she was part of a ‘larger conspiracy’ to destabilize the then Modi government in Gujarat after 2002 riots.
Late Congress leader Ahmed Patel hatched the conspiracy to falsely implicate then Chief Minister Narendra Modi and Teesta Setalavad was also paid Rs 30 lakh at Patel’s behest to ‘foment trouble’, the Special Investigation Team (SIT) told a city sessions court. Apart from her, former DGP RB Sreekumar and former IPS officer Sanjiv Bhatt were also part of this conspiracy, aimed at destabilizing & dismissal of then Narendra Modi government, the SIT said.
Ahmedabad crime branch had recently held Teesta & Sreekumar for their alleged conspiracy to falsely frame people post 2002 Gujarat riots.
The SIT in an affidavit said that the conspiracy was hatched by late Ahmed Patel, who had huge clout at Centre while being the political advisor of President of Congress.
The affidavit reportedly says that Teesta received Rs 5 lakh at the first meeting with Patel while at their second meeting, two days later, she received Rs 25 lakh more from Patel.
The probe team also said in the affidavit that Setalvad often met leaders of a “prominent national party in power at that time in Delhi to frame senior leaders of BJP government.”
“The political objective of Setalvad while being part of larger conspiracy was dismissal or destabilizeation of 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,” read the affidavit.
Additional sessions judge DD Thakkar has posted the mater for bail plea hearing on Monday.
Setalvad has been booked under IPC sections 468 (forgery) and 194 (giving or fabricating false evidence with intent to procure conviction for capital offence) among other offences.
