Gujarat riots: Here are IPC sections under which FIR is registered against Teesta Setalvad, RB Sreekumar
India Today
Here are all the sections of Indian Penal Code (IPC) under which an FIR has been registered by Gujarat Police against Teesta Setalvad and RB Sreekumar, a day after the Supreme Court passed its verdict in the Zakia Jafri petition in the 2005 Gujarat riots.
A day after the Supreme Court passed its verdict in the Zakia Jafri petition, holding that the allegations of deliberate criminal conspiracy and inaction of the government officials during the 2002 Gujarat riots were based on "false statements", the Gujarat Police has now registered an FIR and detained activist Teesta Setalvad and retired IPS officer RB Sreekumar.
Former IPS officer Sanjiv Bhatt is currently in jail, serving a life sentence in a custodial death case of 1990.
The Supreme court in its verdict has rapped all three for falsifying evidence, and observed that the proceedings were pursued for 16 years to "keep the pot boiling, for ulterior design. As a matter of fact, all those involved in such abuse of the process, need to be in the dock".
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The bench had also noted that a detailed investigation by the SIT had shown that the statements given by RB Sreekumar and Sanjiv Bhatt regarding the allegations of a deliberate decision by then Chief Minister Narendra Modi to allow the riots to continue, and the actions of senior officials during the riots were "false". It also noted that Sanjeev Bhatt and former Gujarat Home Minister Haren Pandya, who made such claims, had not actually been present in the meeting where the alleged decisions had been made.
The FIR filed by the Gujarat ATS also alleges that false statements by "witnesses" had been drafted by Teesta Setalvad and filed before the Nanavati commission set up to investigate the riots.
The ATS has now filed an FIR under sections relating to forgery, use of forged documents, falsifying evidence, and related offences. Since RB Sreekumar and Sanjiv Bhatt were IPS officers at the time, the charges applicable to public officials for falsifying evidence have also been added to the FIR.