The Supreme Court on Friday took serious exception to the charge of fund embezzlement by social activist Teesta Setalvad terming it “grave” how funds running into crores of rupees meant for riot victims were misused by trusts run by Setalavad and her husband Javed Anand. A day after staying the couple’s arrest in the case, the apex court which heard the duo’s petition for anticipatory bail, said, “The allegation shows that you have done everything, collected crores of rupees… you have taken undue advantage of riot victims by showing their photographs to foreigners and collected donations.” At one point, the Bench even suggested the right course for Setalvad was to surrender and apply for regular bail.
Senior advocate Kapil Sibal who represented Setalvad said that the charge was “put up” on his client as the donations received were properly audited. He wondered how breach of trust and cheating was made out when no donor had complained. Sibal insisted the court to take a sympathetic view of his client or otherwise the mighty state would unleash its might on her. “We are left with very few people who can fight the state,” Sibal said, backed by eminent lawyers Prashant Bhushan, former Additional Solicitor General Indira Jaising, who echoed the concern.
Not wanting the courtroom to be converted into a political battleground, the Bench of Justices SJ Mukho-padhaya and NV Ramana warned the lawyers to maintain “decorum” in court and said, “We are not hearing political issues. We are approaching the case as we would for any ordinary citizen.”