The Gujarat High Court on Wednesday, 28 September, granted interim bail to former Director General of Police RB Sreekumar in a case of alleged forgery and fabrication of evidence, in which activist Teesta Setalvad is one of the co-accused persons.
Sreekumar's bail application claimed that his health condition is not good and he is in need of medical treatment.
A single bench of Justice Ilesh J Vora granted interim bail till 15 November. The Gujarat Police arrested Sreekumar on 25 June alleging fabrication of evidence in the 2002 Gujarat riots.
He was arrested a day after the Supreme Court dismissed the petition filed by Zakia Jafri, wife of slain Congress MP Ehsan Jafri who was killed during the 2002 violence, seeking a probe into the larger conspiracy behind the Gujarat riots, according to LiveLaw.
Jafri had challenged the high court’s decision of 2017 upholding the magistrate's decision to accept the closure report filed by the SIT in the case. While dismissing Jafri's plea, the apex court had observed that the petition was filed with "ulterior motives" to "keep the pot boiling"
Court Had Called Them Disgruntled
The court termed them "disgruntled" and said that there was a coalesced effort by them to create a sensation by making revelations that were false to their own knowledge, according to Bar and Bench.
Subsequently, Setalvad was arrested by the Gujarat Anti-Terrorism Squad from Mumbai and taken to Gujarat. Sreekumar was also arrested from Gujarat.
Sreekumar was booked for offences under Sections 194 (giving or fabricating false evidence), 211 (false charge of offence), 218 (public servant framing incorrect record), 468 (forgery for purpose of cheating), 471 (using forged document as genuine) and 120B (criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).
On September 2, the Supreme Court had granted interim bail to Setalvad till the time the Gujarat High Court decided her bail application.
(With inputs from LiveLaw and Bar and Bench.)
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