The Gujarat High Court has granted anticipatory bail to top human rights leader and Citizens for Justice and Peace (CJP) secretary Teesta Setalvad, and her partner and CJP office bearer Javed Anand, in connection with a case of alleged misappropriation of funds obtained by her education programme KHOJ.
Based on a complaint filed by a former CJP employee, the Gujarat police alleged misuse of funds received for education related activities for KHOJ project under ‘the Scheme for assistance for experimental and innovative programme for education at the elementary stage includes non-formal education’ linked to Department of School Education and the Sarva Sikhsah Abhiyan.
Calling it a huge victory, CJP said, the complaint "falsely states that funds were used for personal reasons, and to create and distribute printed materials that could cause communal disharmony, the polar opposite of the purpose and outcomes of KHOJ."
CJP statement claimed, "Both activists have cooperated fully with investigations ever since the allegations were first made in March 2018, producing all necessary evidence to prove the falsity of the claim. However, a vindictive state continued to push for custody in a bid to imprison and even possibly torture Teesta and Javed, in their relentless attempt to silence these fearless human rights defenders."
It added, "After exposing the criminal activities of a section of the Gujarat Police and of powerful politicians during the 2002 anti-Muslim riots in Gujarat, CJP has been attacked time and time again. But we never allowed this hurdle to stop us from surging forth in our quest for justice."
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