The Supreme Court on Wednesday asked social activist Teesta Setalvad and her husband Javed Anand to co-operate with the CBI probe into allegations that their company received foreign funds from the U.S.-based Ford Foundation without mandatory approval from the government.
A Bench of Justices of A.R. Dave, F.M.I Kalifulla and V. Gopala Gowda, issued notice to the couple on a petition filed by the CBI seeking their custodial interrogation.
The allegation is that their company, Sabrang Communication and Publishing Pvt Ltd, received Rs. 1.8 crore from Ford Foundation in violation of the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA). This petition is posted for further hearing on December 1.
The Bench, meanwhile, extended its protection to the couple against arrest in another case of alleged embezzlement of funds for a memorial to mark the carnage at Ahmedabad’s Gulbarg Society in the 2002 riots.
The existing period of bail was expiring on October 15. The protection would continue till December 5.
During the hearing of the FCRA case, senior advocate Kapil Sibal, appearing for the couple, denied the allegations of the CBI that they were not cooperating in the probe.
