Gujarat HC condones delay by Teesta Setalwad in filing plea to defreeze bank accounts

Ahmedabad: The Gujarat High Court on Monday condoned the delay in filing a plea by social activist Teesta Setalwad to defreeze her bank accounts in the alleged fund embezzlement case and fixed the next hearing on 5 August.

Last month Setalwad had moved the plea to defreeze her bank accounts in an alleged embezzlement case wherein she had allegedly collected Rs 1.51 crore from national and international donors promising to convert Gulberg Society to a 2002 riots museum, but allegedly spent money for personal purposes.

The city crime branch had frozen the bank accounts of Setlavad, her husband Javed Anand and two of their NGOs’ accounts after they began probe into the embezzlement case filed by a former resident of Gulberg Society last year.

They had challenged the order of a city metropolitan court, which had rejected their pleas to defreeze the bank accounts in November 2014.

However, as the plea was filed 90 days after the order was given, the applicant filed to condone the delay.

During the hearing today, Teesta’s lawyer Kalpesh Shastri contended that the delay in filing the application was caused mainly because his client was busy trying for anticipatory bail from the Supreme Court.

Justice Sonia Gokani took into account these explanations and admitted the application. The next hearing has been fixed on 5 August.

PTI