Social activist Teesta Setalvad on Tuesday urged the Supreme Court to direct the Ahmedabad police to at least de-freeze her personal bank accounts, saying the source of money in these accounts has already been submitted to authorities.
The accounts were frozen in 2015 soon after the police started an investigation into embezzlement allegations against Ms. Setalvad and some others in connection with the money apparently collected from the residents of the 2002 riots-hit Gulberg society.
“There are multiple donors who have donated the money for various purposes. Our personal bank accounts and the bank accounts of the NGOs have been frozen by them, which also include fixed deposits. At least the court should direct them that the freeze on personal bank accounts should be lifted as a lot of time has passed,” Ms. Setalvad’s counsel, Aparna Bhat, submitted.
The submission was made soon after a Bench led by Justice Dipak Misra questioned the source of the money.
Seeks more time
Additional Solicitor-General Tushar Mehta, appearing for Gujarat, sought more time to file a detailed response on the issue.
The Bench posted the matter to April 18.
Ms. Setalvad has been objecting to repeated adjournments being taken by the Gujarat government ever since the Supreme Court issued notice on her petition to de-freeze her account.
Ms. Setalvad, her husband and two NGOs — Sabrang Trust and Citizens for Justice and Peace — had approached the Supreme Court in October 2015 against the Gujarat High Court’s order rejecting their plea to de-freeze their personal bank accounts.
