Teesta Setalvad, Sreekumar remanded in judicial custody

Police did not seek further remand, says public prosecutor 

A court in Ahmedabad on Saturday sent activist Teesta Setalvad and former Director-General of Police R.B. Sreekumar, arrested for alleged fabrication of evidence regarding the 2002 Gujarat riots cases, to 14-day judicial custody.

The two were produced before metropolitan magistrate S.P. Patel after their police custody ended. The police did not seek their further remand, said special public prosecutor Amit Patel.

Ms. Setalvad and Mr. Sreekumar were arrested over a First Information Report (FIR) registered last Saturday by the Ahmedabad police crime branch.

“The investigation officer did not ask for any further custody. They were hence sent in 14-day judicial custody,” Mr. Amit Patel said.

Mr. Sreekumar was arrested last Saturday and Ms. Setalvad the next day after being picked up by the Gujarat Anti Terrorist Squad (ATS) from her home in Mumbai.

Former IPS officer Sanjiv Bhatt, who is serving life sentence in a custodial death case in a jail at Palanpur in Banaskantha district, is also an accused in the case. He will be brought to Ahmedabad on transfer warrant, police sources said.

The crime branch registered the FIR against them a day after the Supreme Court dismissed a petition challenging the clean chit given by a Special Investigation Team to then Chief Minister Narendra Modi and others in the 2002 post-Godhra riots cases.