2002 Gujarat riots: Didn't receive any grants, donations for welfare of victims in 2007-14, asserts Teesta Setalvad

By A Representative
Top human rights activist, fighting the 2002 Gujarat riot victims' cases, Teesta Setavlad, has said the organizations she and her husband Javed Anand represent – Citizens for Justice and Peace (CJP) or Sabrang Trust – never applied or appealed for, or received grants or donations “intended for the financial assistance of any kind” for the welfare of the “victims-survivors of the 2002 communal carnage in Gujarat” between 2007 and 2014.
In a statement issued by her and Anand, Setalvad says, this is evident from the “voluminous documentary evidence submitted to the Gujarat police and in the courts”, which include “copies of grant agreements with donor organizations.”
The only thing the CJP applied or appealed for grants and donations was “to provide free legal aid to the survivors and eye-witnesses in their search for justice and punishment to the perpetrators of the mass crimes in 2002”, the statement says.
She adds, CJP’s trustees are “fully satisfied” with the funds the NGO received, as it helped the in securing “unprecedented, even historic, verdicts in favour of the survivors in the trial courts in Mumbai (Best Bakery Case) and Gujarat, Gujarat High Court and the Supreme Court.”
Setalvad's statement follows the reported claim of the Gujarat police before the Supreme Court that documentary evidence on Setalvad and her husband "siphoning off" Rs 3.85 crore for "personal use" from the Rs 9.75 crore donations received by the two NGOs for the “welfare” of the 2002 riot victims.
Running into 83-page affidavit, assistant commissioner of police, Gujarat, Rahul B Patel, accuses the Setalvad and Anand, as also other trusees of the two NGOs, of “non-cooperation” in providing documents needed to “investigate complaints” by riots victims of Gulbarg Society, which was one of the worst sites of massacre in 2002.
Gujarat police said, this became evident on “examining” the bank accounts of CJP and Sabrang Trust, adding, the couple also drew money for “personal use” from the Rs 1.40 crore grant given by the Union human resources development (HRD) ministry from February 2011 to July 2012.
Setalvad says, Gujarat police is “recycling spiced-up allegations without a shred of evidence”, adding, “the state police has chosen to completely ignore the over 20,000 pages of documentary evidence submitted to them.”
She agrees, in 2008, with the concurrence of members of the Gulberg Housing Society, Ahmedabad, Sabrang Trust did try to raise funds for building a Gulberg Resistance Memorial. But she adds, “The project had to be abandoned in 2012 due to insufficient funds” and the amount, Rs 4.6 lakh received as donation “is still reflected in the trust’s audited balance sheet as unutilized.”
Denying the allegation that the donation received by the Sabrang Trust from the HRD Ministry had also been embezzled, Setalvad says, there is a “new and equally baseless allegation”, adding, “To the best of our knowledge, the HRD ministry itself has made no such claim, at least till date.”

Comments

What Sister Nivedita understood about India that we have forgotten

By Harasankar Adhikari In the idea of a “Vikshit Bharat,” many real problems—hunger, poverty, ill health, unemployment, and joblessness—are increasingly overshadowed by the religious contest between Hindu and Muslim fundamentalisms. This contest is often sponsored and patronised by political parties across the spectrum, whether openly Hindutva-oriented, Islamist, partisan, or self-proclaimed secular.

The rise of the civilizational state: Prof. Pratap Bhanu Mehta warns of new authoritarianism

By A Representative Noted political theorist and public intellectual Professor Pratap Bhanu Mehta delivered a poignant reflection on the changing nature of the Indian state today, warning that the rise of a "civilizational state" poses a significant threat to the foundations of modern democracy and individual freedom. Delivering the Achyut Yagnik Memorial Lecture titled "The Idea of Civilization: Poison or Cure?" at the Ahmedabad Management Association, Mehta argued that India is currently witnessing a self-conscious political project that seeks to redefine the state not as a product of a modern constitution, but as an instrument of an ancient, authentic civilization.

Why experts say replacing MGNREGA could undo two decades of rural empowerment

By A Representative A group of scientists, academics, civil society organisations and field practitioners from India and abroad has issued an open letter urging the Union government to reconsider the repeal of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) and to withdraw the newly enacted Viksit Bharat–Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) Act, 2025. The letter, dated December 27, 2025, comes days after the VB–G RAM G Bill was introduced in the Lok Sabha on December 16 and subsequently approved by both Houses of Parliament, formally replacing the two-decade-old employment guarantee law.

NYT: RSS 'infiltrates' institutions, 'drives' religious divide under Modi's leadership

By Jag Jivan A comprehensive New York Times investigation published on December 26, 2025, chronicles the rise of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) — characterized as a far-right Hindu nationalist organization — from a shadowy group founded in 1925 to the world's largest right-wing force, marking its centenary in 2025 with unprecedented influence and mainstream acceptance. Prime Minister Narendra Modi , who joined the RSS as a young boy and later became a full-time campaigner before being deputized to its political wing in the 1980s, delivered his strongest public tribute to the group in his August 2025 Independence Day address. Speaking from the Red Fort , he called the RSS a "giant river" with dozens of streams touching every aspect of Indian life, praising its "service, dedication, organization, and unmatched discipline." The report describes how the RSS has deeply infiltrated India's institutions — government, courts, police, media, and academia — ...

India’s universities lag global standards, pushing students overseas: NITI Aayog study

By Rajiv Shah A new Government of India study, Internationalisation of Higher Education in India: Prospects, Potential, and Policy Recommendations , prepared by NITI Aayog , regrets that India’s lag in this sector is the direct result of “several systemic challenges such as inadequate infrastructure to provide quality education and deliver world-class research, weak industry–academia collaboration, and outdated curricula.”

Interfaith cooperation in Punjab village as Sikhs and Hindus support mosque construction

By Bharat Dogra A recent heart-warming report on Sikh and Hindu families helping to build a mosque in a village of Punjab deserves wide attention. It is such examples that truly strengthen national unity. There are many instances of mutual respect and cooperation among people of different religions and faiths that need to be better known today.

'Caste oppression ignored': NCERT textbooks reflect ideological bias, says historian

By A Representative The Indian History Forum organized a webinar titled “Rewriting the Past: Distortions and Ideological Interventions in NCERT History Textbooks” on 22 December 2025. The session featured historian Dr Ruchika Sharma, who critically examined recent changes in NCERT history textbooks and their implications for historical understanding and social cohesion among millions of students across the country.

Investment in rule of law a corporate imperative, not charity: Business, civil society leaders

By A Representative In a compelling town hall discussion hosted at L.J School of Law , prominent voices from industry and civil society underscored that corporate investment in strengthening the rule of law is not an act of charity but a critical business strategy for building a safer, stronger, and developed India by 2047. The dialogue, part of the Unmute podcast series, examined the intrinsic link between ethical business conduct , robust legal frameworks, and sustainable national development, against the sobering backdrop of India ranking 79th out of 142 countries on the global Rule of Law Index .

When a city rebuilt forgets its builders: Migrant workers’ struggle for sanitation in Bhuj

Khasra Ground site By Aseem Mishra* Access to safe drinking water and sanitation is not a privilege—it is a fundamental human right. This principle has been unequivocally recognised by the United Nations and repeatedly affirmed by the Supreme Court of India as intrinsic to the right to life and dignity under Article 21 of the Constitution. Yet, for thousands of migrant workers living in Bhuj, this right remains elusive, exposing a troubling disconnect between constitutional guarantees, policy declarations, and lived reality.

Search This Blog