150724 Tsja Hc Aba

8/20/2019 150724 Tsja Hc Aba

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I N THE HI GH COURT OF J UDI CATURE AT BOMBAY

CRI MI NAL APPELLATE J URI SDI CTI ON

CRI MI NAL ANTI CI PATORY BAI L

APPLI CATI ON NO. OF 2015

DI ST. : MUMBAI

I n t he mat t er of sect i on 438

of t he Code of Cr i mi nal

Pr ocedur e

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And

I n t he mat t er of C. R. No.

E00006 of 2015 r egi st er ed

wi t h CBI - EOW, Mumbai , u/ s

120- B I PC, r / w 35, 37 r / w

Sect i on 3, 11 and 19 of t he

FCRA 2010 cor r esponj di ng t osect i on 23, 25 r / w Sect i on

4, 6 and 13 of t he FCRA

1976.

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In the matter of

1. Teest a Set al vad )

Ni r ant , J uhu Tar a Road, )

Mumbai )

…Appl i cant No. 1

2. J aved Anand )

Ni r ant , J uhu Tar a Road, )

Mumbai )

…Appl i cant No. 2

VERSUS

1. Cent r al Bur eau of I nvest i gat i on )

Economi c Of f ence Wi ng, 4t h f l oor )

Uni ver sal I nsur ance Bui l di ng )

PM Road. For t )

Mumbai 400001 )

2. St at e of Mahar asht r a )

. . . Respondent s

MOST RESPECTFULLY SHOWETH:

1. That t he present appl i cat i on i s f or seeki ng

ant i ci pat or y bai l t o Appl i cant s i n t he

mat t er ar i si ng out of CR No. E0006 of 2015

r egi st er ed wi t h t he CBI - EOW, Mumbai , u/ s120- B, of t he I ndi an Penal Code, r / w 35, 37

r / w S. 3, 11, and 19 of FCRA 2010

cor r espondi ng t o S. 23, 25 r / w S. 4, 6, and 13

of FCRA 1976. The sai d FI R i s f al se and

mal i ci ous i n nat ur e and has been f i l ed wi t h

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t he sol e pur pose of harassment of t he

Appl i cant s.

2. The Appl i cant s had sought bai l f r om t he

Hon’ bl e Sessi ons Cour t f or Gr eat er Bombay,

at Mumbai and t he same came t o be r ej ect ed

on 24. 07. 2015. The Appl i cant s have not

r ecei ved t he copy of t he or der . The samewi l l be f ur ni shed t o t hi s Hon’ bl e Cour t at

t he t i me of argument s.

3. On 17. 07. 2015 and 21. 07. 2015 t he Hon’ bl e

Sessi ons Cour t f or Gr eat er Bombay at Mumbai ,

gr ant ed i nt er i m pr ot ect i on f r om bei ng

ar r est ed t o t he Appl i cant s. Her et o annexed

i s t he or der dat ed 17. 07. 2015 and 21. 07. 2015

and col l ect i vel y mar ked as ‘ Annexure 1’.

4. That t he Appl i cant s her ei n ar e Di r ect or s

of Sabr ang Communi cat i on and Publ i shi ng Pvt .

Lt d. whi ch was r egi st er ed under t he

Compani es Act , 1956 i n 1993. Sabr ang

Communi cat i ons & Publ i shi ng Pr i vat e Li mi t ed,

si nce t he t i me of i t s i ncor por at i on, has i t s

mai n obj ect i ves bei ng t o creat e awareness by

mai nt ai ni ng dat a bank and a l i br ar y,

publ i shi ng books, r epor t s, pamphl et s,

j ournal s cover i ng var i ous aspect s of I ndi an

and t he wor l d’ s soci o- economi c and pol i t i cal

i ssues; and t o ent er i nt o cont r act s,

agr eement s and ar r angement s wi t h any ot her

company or ent i t y t o car r y out t hese

obj ect i ves; as al so t o conduct r esear ch,

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or gani se meet i ngs, conf er ences; t o r ender

ser vi ces and assi st ance t o al l sect i ons of

t he publ i c i ncl udi ng gover nment al and non-

gover nment al bodi es, f eder at i ons of

commer ce, uni ver si t i es, i nst i t ut es whet her

i n I ndi a or abr oad; and t owar ds t hi s end

pur chase mat er i al s and pr oper t i es and

i nvest . The Appl i cant s/ Appl i cant s cr avel eave t o pr oduce t he Memor andum of

Associ at i on as and when r equi r ed.

5. Communalism Combat was/ i s a mont hl y

publ i cat i on publ i shed by Sabr ang

Communi cat i ons si nce August 1993 and was

honour ed wi t h t he Pr i nce Cl aus I nt er nat i onal

Awar d f or Except i onal I ni t i at i ve i n t he

f i el d of J our nal i sm and Devel opment i n

December , 2000. I n or der t o r ecei ve t he sai d

awar d amount , t he Appl i cant s had made an

appl i cat i on under Sect i on 31 of t he For ei gn

Cont r i but i on ( Regul at i on) Act , 1976, seeki ng

an exempt i on f r om Sect i on 4 of t he Act and

t he same was grant ed on Apr i l 10, 2001. A

t r ue copy of t he sai d or der dat ed Apr i l 10,

2001, i ssued by t he Mi ni st r y of Home

Af f ai r s, gr ant i ng per mi ssi on t o Communal

Combat t o recei ve t he sai d awar d money i s

annexed her ewi t h and mar ked as Annexure 2.

6. I n 2003, Appl i cant No. 1 was awarded t he

‘ Nur ember g I nt er nat i onal Human Ri ght s

Awar d’ . She al so r ecei ved t he Pr akash

Kaphl ey Awar d i n 2003. The awar d money of

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bot h t hese awards was accept ed af t er

f ol l owi ng t he due pr ocess of l aw. A t r ue

copy of t he order dat ed 22. 4. 2003 i ssued by

t he Mi ni st r y of Home Af f ai r s, gr ant i ng

per mi ssi on t o Appl i cant No. 1 t o r ecei ve t he

Pr akash Kaphl ey Award i s annexed herewi t h

and mar ked as Annexure 3. A t r ue copy of t he

or der dat ed 5. 1. 2004 i ssued by t he Mi ni st r yof Home Af f ai r s, gr ant i ng per mi ssi on t o

Appl i cant No. 1 t o r ecei ve t he ‘ Nur ember g

I nt er nat i onal Human Ri ght s Award’ i s annexed

her ewi t h and mar ked as Annexure 4. An

acknowl edgment of wor k by Appl i cant No. 1

and a Message r egar di ng her r ecei vi ng t he

Nur emberg I nt ernat i onal Human Ri ght s Award

was i ssued by Kof i Annan, t he t hen

Secr et ar y- Gener al of t he Uni t ed Nat i ons. A

t r ue copy of t he same i s bei ng annexed

her ewi t h and mar ked as Annexure 5. The

magazi ne Communalism Combat r ecei ved an

I nt er nat i onal awar d f or Excel l ence i n

J ournal i sm and Devel opment f r om t he Pr i nce

Kl aus Foundat i on and appl i ed f or per mi ssi on

t o r ecei ve t he award amount t hat was dul y

gr ant ed by t he Mi ni st r y of Home Af f ai r s

( MHA) . At t ached i s a copy of t he sai d

permi ssi on gr ant ed by t he MHA as Annexure 6.

These document s show t hat t he appl i cant s ar e

awar e of t he pr ovi si ons of t he l aws of t he

l and and have, i n f act , whenever l egal l y

necessar y appl i ed f or per mi ssi on f r om t he

mha f or r ecei pt of f or ei gn awar ds etc.

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7. That t he br i ef f act s i n t he present case ar e

as f ol l ows:

a) A t wo year Consul t ancy Cont r act i n 2004 and

anot her one i n 2006 was ent er ed i nt o by

Sabr ang Communi cat i on and Publ i shi ng Pvt .Lt d. wi t h For d Foundat i on, as per whi ch

Sabr ang Communi cat i ons r ecei ved consul t ancy

f ees f r om For d Foundat i on. Thi s agr eement

was ent er ed i nt o af t er seeki ng l egal advi ce

r egar di ng l egal i t y of t he same and t hat as

per t he pr ovi si ons of For ei gn Cont r i but i on

( Regul at i on) Act , 1976, consul t ancy f ees was

not t r eat ed as f or ei gn cont r i but i on. I n

f act, whi l e t r ansf er r i ng t he f ees, as per

t he Agreement , For d Foundat i on deduct ed TDS

as wel l .

b)

On 27. 02. 2002 Godhr a Tr ai n i nci dent occur r ed

at Guj ar at and r i ot s br oke out . The

communal pol i t i cal out f i t s t ar get ed t he l i f e

and pr oper t y of t he mi nor i t y communi t y and

as a r esul t a l ot of peopl e l ost t hei r

l i ves. The at t acks wer e syst emi cal l y

or gani zed wi t h t he suppor t of t he St at e of

Gover nment and i n al l 300 l ocat i ons over 19

di st r i ct s of t he St at e wer e wi t ness t o mass

car nage and r i ot s. Gul ber g Hsg. Co- op. Soc.

Lt d. was t ot al l y bur nt by pol i t i cal l y

mot i vat ed ant i soci al el ement s and around 69

peopl e l ost t hei r l i ves i n t he massacr e.

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c)

The Appl i cant No. 1 set up t he or gani zat i on

Ci t i zens f or J ust i ce and Peace ( her ei naf t er

f or t he sake of br evi t y r ef er r ed t o as

“CJ P”) t o pr ovi de assi st ance and l egal ai d

t o t he vi ct i ms of mass car nage at Guj ar at i n

February 2002. The f ounder member s and

t r ust ees of t he sai d or gani zat i on i ncl udedr enowned l i ke Vi j ay Tendul kar , Al yque

Padamsee, J aved Akht ar , Ani l Dhar kar , Cyrus

Guzder and ot hers. The Appl i cant No. 1 and

ot her s st r i ved t o set up Ci t i zens Tr i bunal

t o go i nt o t he root cause of communal

vi ol ence i n Guj ar at headed by t wo ret i r ed

j udges of t he Hon’ bl e Supreme Cour t . The

Sabr ang Trust had been f ormed ear l i er i n

1995 f or bui l di ng peace and harmony i n

soci et y even pr i or t o t he f or mat i on of CJ P

and t he Appl i cant s are al so t he Tr ust ees of

t he sai d Tr ust .

d) The NHRC, t hen headed by l at e J ust i ce

J . S. Ver ma, f or mer Chi ef J ust i ce of I ndi a and

i t s ot her member s and t eam vi si t ed t he ar ea.

They gave det ai l ed r epor t s af t er t al ki ng

ext ensi vel y t o var i ous vi ct i ms.

e) I n i t s f i nal r epor t , t he NHRC r ecommended

cer t ai n maj or cases r el at ed t o t he r i ot s

were r ecommended t o be t r ansf er r ed t o CBI

f or i nvest i gat i on i n addi t i on t o gi vi ng

det ai l ed gui del i nes about how t he cases

woul d be subsequent l y t r i ed.

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f )

I n 2002 i t sel f var i ous pet i t i ons came t o

f i l ed i n t he Supr eme Cour t of I ndi a seeki ng

i nt er al i a t r ansf er of i nvest i gat i on. The

Appl i cant s wer e Appl i cant s i n cer t ai n

pet i t i ons. One of t he pet i t i ons i n whi ch

t r ansf er i nvest i gat i on was sought was t he

case known as “Best Baker y”. I n t he t r i alt hat was on- goi ng, t he st ar wi t ness t ur ned

host i l e and t he case r esul t ed i n an

acqui t t al .

g) Two mont hs af t er t urni ng host i l e, she got i n

t ouch wi t h t he Appl i cant no. 1 her ei n and

i nf ormed her t hat she was coer ced t o change

t he st at ement . Af t er i nt er vi ewi ng her at

l engt h, t he Appl i cant no. 1, af t er consul t i ng

al l her t r ust ees, and af t er bei ng sat i sf i ed

t hat she was t el l i ng t he t r ut h, f l ew wi t h

her t o Del hi and appeared bef ore t he

Nat i onal Human Ri ght s Commi ssi on wher e t he

f ul l commi ssi on r ecor ded t he st at ement of

Ms. Shei kh wher ei n Ms. Shei kh r ei t er at ed t hat

she was coer ced t o t ur n host i l e. I t i s

per t i nent t o not e t hat Ms. Shei kh had

t r avel l ed f r om Bar oda t o Mumbai al ongwi t h

Raees Khan who was empl oyed wi t h t he

Appl i cant ’ s t r ust at t hat t i me.

h) That i n J ul y 2003, t he NHRC f i l ed a speci al

l eave pet i t i on bef or e t he Hon’ bl e Supr eme

Cour t agai nst t he acqui t t al i n t he t r i al

cour t i n t he case of Baker y. The Appl i cant

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no. 1 and Ms. Zahi r a Shei kh al so f i l ed a

speci al l eave pet i t i on.

i ) That on August 8, 2003, t he Hon’ bl e Supreme

Cour t conver t ed t he NHRC pet i t i on i nt o a

wr i t pet i t i on and i ssued not i ce i n t he

mat t er . Not i ce was al so i ssued i n t he

pet i t i on f i l ed by t he Appl i cantsubsequent l y. On t he same day, t o pr e- empt

any adver se comment s, t he St at e of Guj arat

hur r i edl y f i l ed an appeal agai nst t he or der

or acqui t t al i n t he Best Baker y case.

j ) Appl i cant al ong wi t h t he f ami l i y member of

t he vi ct i m f i l ed a r evi si on pet i t i on i n t hi s

Hon’ bl e Hi gh Cour t agai nst t he acqui t t al .

The appeal of t he St at e gover nment and t he

r evi si on pet i t i on f i l ed by t he Appl i cant was

di smi ssed by t hi s Hon’ bl e Cour t .

k)

That t he St at e of Guj ar at as wel l as t he

Appl i cant no. 1 al ong wi t h Ms. Zahi r a Shei kh

f i l ed speci al l eave pet i t i ons i n t he Hon’ bl e

Supr eme Cour t agai nst t he di smi ssal . bei ng

SLP Cr l Nos 538- 541/ 2004. The Hon’ bl e Supr eme

Cour t al l owed t he pet i t i on f i l ed by t he

Appl i cant , or der ed r e- t r i al and t r ansf er r ed

t he t r i al t o Mumbai .

l ) The Hon’ bl e Supreme Cour t by i t s or der dat ed

Apr i l 21, 2004 i n Cr . M. P. Nos. 8198 and 8165

of 2003 i n Speci al Leave Pet i t i on ( Cr l . )

No. 3770 of 2003, di r ect ed t he Government of

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I ndi a t o pr ovi de adequat e pr ot ect i on t o t he

Appl i cant No. 1 as she was bei ng i ssued

t hr eat s r egul ar l y. The sai d secur i t y

ar r angement cont i nues t i l l dat e and t he

Appl i cant No. 1 i s under const ant day and

ni ght pr ot ect i on of t he CI SF.

m)

That somet i me i n Oct ober 2004, whi l e t het r i al was pendi ng i n Mumbai , Ms. Zahi r a

Shei kh made mal af i de al l egat i ons agai nst t he

Appl i cant No. 1. She addr essed a pr ess

conf er ence i n Bar oda and wi t h act i ve suppor t

of t he st at e gover nment , made ser i ous

al l egat i ons agai nst t he Appl i cant no. 1. A

FI R got r egi st er ed agai nst t he Appl i cant

no. 1 on t he basi s of st at ement i ssued by

Ms. Shei kh. Thi s i s t he f i r st of t he many

FI Rs t hat have been r egi st er ed agai nst t he

Appl i cant no. 1 i n t he l ast 12 year s t hat she

has been suppor t i ng t he vi ct i ms. The

Appl i cant t ook t empor ar y ant i ci pat or y bai l

i n t hi s mat t er f r om t he Bombay Hi gh Cour t .

n) The Appl i cant f i l ed an appl i cat i on bef or e

t he Hon’ bl e Supr eme Cour t seeki ng an enqui r y

i nt o t he manner on whi ch Ms. Shei kh had

changed her st and. The Hon’ bl e Supr eme Cour t

i ssued not i ce on t hi s appl i cat i on and

appoi nt ed t he Regi st r ar Gener al of t he Cour t

t o conduct a det ai l ed enqui r y i nt o t he

mat t er . The r epor t of t he Regi st r ar Gener al

exoner at ed t he Appl i cant no. 1 and f ound

Ms. Shai kh gui l t y. The Hon’ bl e Supr eme Cour t

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accept ed t he r epor t and hel d her t o be i n

cont empt of cour t and al so or dered an i ncome

t ax i nqui r y agai nst her .

o) Somet i me i n 2007- 8, t he member s of Gul ber g

Soci et y and Sabr ang Trust consi der ed t he

i dea of set t i ng up a memor i al by way of a

museum - “Museum of Resi st ance” at t her emai ns of Gul ber g Soci et y ar ea. Var i ous

di scussi ons wer e hel d r egar di ng set up of

t he Museum of Resi st ance. A pr oposal was put

up by l et t er dat ed J anuary 14, 2008 wher ei n

i t was inter-alia st at ed t hat t he Gul ber g

Soci et y woul d sel l t he pl ot of l and t o t he

Sabr ang Tr ust and f ur t her di r ect ed t he

Soci et y to appoi nt i ndependent sur veyor s t o

assess t he cost of t he l and t o wor k out

f i nanci al s of t he pr oj ect .

p) That ar ound t he same t i me, ser vi ces of one

of t he empl oyees of “Ci t i zens of J ust i ce and

Peace”- Raees Khan were di scont i nued by

l et t er dat ed J anuar y 18, 2008 f or hi s

dubi ous conduct t owar ds t he vi ct i ms of t he

r i ot . The f act of hi s removal f r om t he

organi zat i on was made publ i c by get t i ng t he

same publ i shed i n t he newspaper as wel l as

communi cat ed t o t he St at e and Cent r al

Gover nment . I n order t o seek vengeance,

Raees Khan made var i ous f al se and f r i vol ous

al l egat i ons agai nst t he Appl i cant s at t he

behest of t he pol i t i cal par t i es i n Guj ar at .

He has been i nst r ument al i n get t i ng var i ous

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cr i mi nal cases r egi st er ed agai nst t he

appl i cant her ei n and t he det ai l s of t he same

i s ment i oned l at er i n t he pet i t i on.

q) I n t he meanwhi l e, t he Hon’ bl e Supr eme

Cour t , i n t he pet i t i on f i l ed by t he NHRC and

ot her pet i t i ons wher e t he Appl i cant s wer e

par t i es, a Speci al I nvest i gat i on Team ( SI T)was appoi nted by t he Supreme Cour t t o

f ur t her i nvest i gat e ei ght maj or t r i al s as

r ecommended by t he NHRC. The SI T was headed

by t he f or mer Di r ect or of CBI . The

composi t i on of t he SI T changed over t he

per i od of t i me and t he appl i cat i on made by

t he appl i cant her ei n, of f i cer s f r om t he

Guj ar at cadr e wer e pr i mar i l y excl uded.

r ) Meanwhi l e, t he Gul ber g Soci et y accept ed t he

pr oposal of t he Tr ust t o set up t he “Museum

of Resi st ance” and i ssued a Resol ut i on dat ed

J une 29, 2008 t o t hat ef f ect . However , no

f ormal agr eement was ent er ed i nt o f or t he

same. The appl i cant s t ook t he r esponsi bi l i t y

of r ai si ng t he r esour ces and accor di ngl y

i ni t i at ed t he pr ocess. I t i s submi t t ed t hat

t he deci si on was a col l ect i ve one and t he

compl ai nant was consci ous of t hese

di scussi ons

s) That on Apr i l 27, 2009, i n a pet i t i on f i l ed

by t he wi f e of t he l at e Ahsan J af r i , who was

br ut al l y bur nt t o deat h i n t he Gul ber g

Soci et y i n t he r i ot s, t he Hon’ bl e Supr eme

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Cour t di r ect ed t hat t he SI T al so l ooks i nt o

t he compl ai nt made by Smt Zaki a Ahsan J af r i

whi ch was al so t aken t o t he Supr eme Cour t by

way of a speci al l eave pet i t i on f ol l owi ng

i t s r ej ect i on i n t he Hi gh Cour t .

t ) That on May 1, 2009, t he Hon’ bl e Supreme

Cour t i n t he bat ch of pet i t i ons f i l ed byNHRC, appl i cant s her ei n and ot her s di r ect ed

t he SI T t o f i l e suppl ement ar y char gesheet s

and or der ed t hat t he t r i al s shoul d cont i nue

on a day t o day basi s by desi gnat ed cour t s

appoi nt ed by t he Hi gh Cour t .

Soon af t er t hi s per i od, a campai gn of

Vendet t a l aunched by f or mer empl oyee Raees

Khan Pat han who went shoppi ng f or f ora i n

var i ous cour t s and f i l ed about hal f a dozen

appl i cat i ons maki ng basel ess al l egat i ons

agai nst Appl i cant No. 1. He al so gi ves

i nt er vi ews st at i ng hi s ambi t i on i s t o get

Appl i cant No 1 ar r est ed ( Ti mes of I ndi a,

Ahmedabd December 2010) . The f ol l owi ng t abl e

wi l l gi ve t he det ai l s of t he FI Rs f i l ed and

t hei r st at us. The Guj ar at st at e t hr ough i t ’ s

pol i ce has si nce 2004 l odged a vi l i f i cat i on

and i nt i mi dat i on campai gn agai nst Set al vad

and her or gani sat i ons. A coupl e of wi t nesses

( sur vi vor s) have been used, as al so a f or mer

empl oyee of CJ P who went shoppi ng f or f ora

i n var i ous cour t s and f i l ed about hal f a

dozen appl i cat i ons maki ng basel ess

al l egat i ons agai nst Teest a Set al vad. Now

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t hi s has i nt ensi f i ed and ext ended t o her

f ami l y and or gani sat i ons.

Mesanwhi l e we have been consi st ent l y

exoner at ed of vi l e char ges:

Regi st r ar Gener al BM Gupt a’ s Repor t of

August 2005.

Sar dar r pur a Speci al Cour t ( Tr i al ) J udgement

of 9. 11. 2011Nar oda Pat i ya Speci al Cour t ( Tr i al )

J udgement of 29. 08. 2012

Best Baker y Speci al Cour t J udgement ( Tr i al )

of Febr uar y 2006 & Appeal dat ed 4. 7. 2012

The f ol l owi ng t abl e wi l l gi ve t he det ai l s of

t he FI Rs f i l ed agai nst Teest a Set al vad and

t hei r st at us.

( A) FI R No. Det ai l s St at us

Regi st er ed i n Best

Baker y case

CR 1- 3- 2006 Fi l ed by an

of f i cer of t he

gover nment at

1. 30 Am on

2. 1. 2006. Thi s

i s a FI R f i l ed

f ol l owi ng somedi ggi ng of t he

gr ound by some

persons

seeki ng t o

r et r i eve some

Ther e i s a

st ay of

f ur t her

pr oceedi ngs

i n t he mat t er

by or der

dat ed29. 7. 2011 i n

SLP ( Cr l )

No. 5275-

76/ 2011

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debr i s of

t hei r dead

r el at i ves who

were bur i ed

hur r i edl y. The

FI R was f i l ed

af t er t he Hi gh

Cour t order edt he CBI t o

enqui r e i nt o

t he mat t er and

t he vi ct i ms

wer e di r ect ed

t o gi ve

sampl es f or

DNA t est i ng.

Teest a

Set al vad was

added as an

accused i n

t hi s case i n

2011

M. Case No. 2/ 2011, PS

Navrangpur a, under

sect i ons 193- 196, 197,

200 and 120B

Fi l ed by t he

Regi st r ar of

t he Cour t

f ol l owi ng an

appl i cat i on

made by Raees

Khan t hat

Teest a

Set al vad

cr eat ed f al se

Ther e i s a

st ay gr ant ed

by t he

Supr eme Cour t

i n SLP ( cr l )

No. 6754- 56 of

2011 dat ed

2. 9. 2011

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af f i davi t s.

Def amat i on case f i l ed by

Raees Khan

( 37/ 12 dt d 20. 6. 2012

10/ 12 dt d 23/ 07/ 2012)

A si mpl e

def amat i on

case was used

t o conduct a

r ovi ng I nqui r y

by t he DCB

Cr i me Br anch,

Ahmedabad

Thi s r ovi ng

I nqui r y has

been

chal l enged i n

a pet i t i on

bef or e t hi s

Hon’ bl e Cour t

( SCA No

2825/ 2012)

Cr . 1 of 2014 dat ed

4. 1. 2014

A case of

al l eged

embezzl ement

of f unds.

Pet i t i oner s

have been

gr ant ed

pr ot ect i on by

t he Hon’ bl e

Supr eme Cour t

i n Cr l .

Appeal No. 338

of 2015

CR 162/ 2014 dat ed

23. 08. 2014

Case of

i nf l ammat ory

speech f or a

t weet t hat

Teest a

Set al vad

apol ogi sed f orand r emoved

wi t hi n 40

mi nut es t o an

hour on

Ant i ci pat or y

t ransi t Bai l

gr ant ed by

f i r st Bombay

Cour t , t hen

conf i r med by

AhmedabadSessi ons

Cour t .

Condi t i on

t hat she

deposi t her

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22. 08. 2014 passpor t .

Even i n t hi s

case,

cust odi al

i nt er r ogat i on

was i nsi st ed

upon by t he

Guj ar atpol i ce cr i me

br anch.

Though i n

bet ween

Set al vad was

al l owed t o

t r avel

abr oad, an

or der of

29. 06. 2015

has i mposed a

ban on her

t r avel . She

has appeal ed

t he mat t er

( aski ng f or a

modi f i cat i on

of t he

condi t i ons of

t he or der )

and al so i n a

separ at e

pet i t i on

pr ayed f or a

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quashi ng of

t he mal af i de

FI R

CR No I CR

No. 45/ 2014 Bhavnagar

Pol i ce St at i on

22. 08. 2014 FI R

on same

subj ect as

above

Guj ar at Hi gh

Cour t has

st ayed t he

pr oceedi ngs

Yasmeen Shai kh, anot her

wi t ness i n t he Bes

Baker y case, had,

i nst i gat ed by t he f or mer

empl oyee of t he CJ P and

ai ded by seni or l awyer s

af f i l i at ed wi t h t he

cur r ent di spensat i on i n

Guj arat ( and now i n

Del hi ) had t r i ed t o

di sr upt t he hear i ng of

t he Best Baker y Appeal

whi l e i t was bei ng hear d

i n t he Bombay Hi gh Cour t

i n 2012.

She had f i l ed

an af f i davi t

maki ng f al se

aver ment s on

af f i davi t t hat

ar e t he same

as now made i n

her r ecent

compl ai nt . We

had deci si vel y

i nt er vened

count er i ng her

on ever y

poi nt . Her e i s

what t he

Bombay Hi gh

Cour t had t o

say i n i t sFi nal Or der

dat ed

4. 07. 2012 t hat

uphel d some of

t he

Medi a repor t s

st at ed ( J une-

J ul y 2015)

that

f ol l owi ng her

( al ong wi t ht

he f or mer

empl oyee of

CJ P wr i t i ng

t o t he

Guj ar at ’ s

Di r ect or

Gener al of

Pol i ce,

despite this

decisive

finding by

the BombayHigh Court,

instead of

seeing

through

Yasmeen

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Convi ct i ons i n

Appeal :

“ Par a 62. I n

our vi ew t hese

appl i cat i ons

f or r e- t r i al

cannot be

ent er t ai ned.I n t he f i r s t

pl ace, t her e

i s gr oss del ay

on t he par t of

Yasmi n i n

f i l i ng t hese

appl i cat i ons.

Her evi dence

was r ecor ded

i n t he Tr i al

Cour t i n 2004

and her cr oss-

exami nat i on

was over on

29t h November ,

2004. The

appeal s

agai nst t he

j udgment and

order passed

by t he

Sessi ons Cour t

wer e admi t t ed

by t hi s Cour t

Shaikh’s ploy

for –the DGP

Gujarat has

passed it on

to the Crime

Branch that

has obviously

a lot of time

on its hands

with a single

point agenda-

us!

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i n 2006. These

appeal s have

been pendi ng

i n t hi s Cour t

al most f or a

per i od of si x

years and onl y

when t hemat t er was

f i xed f or

f i nal hear i ng,

at t hat t i me,

t hese

appl i cat i ons

have been

f i l ed.

“…Para 151. I n

our vi ew,

t her ef or e

t est i mony of

t hese f our

i nj ur ed eye

wi t nesses i s

t r ust wor t hy so

f ar as A- 11,

A- 15, A- 12 and

A- 16 are

concer ned and

t hey have

cor r obor at ed

pr act i cal l y

each ot her ' s

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t est i mony on

al l mat er i al

par t i cul ar s .

Though t her e

has been

omi ss i ons and

i mpr ovement s

i n t hei rt est i mony and

al so

cont r adi ct i ons

on some of t he

maj or

par t i cul ar s

t hat by i t sel f

cannot be a

gr ound f or

di scar di ng

t hei r evi dence

i n i t s

ent i r et y and

i t cannot be

sai d t hat t hey

have been

t ut or ed by t he

t hi r d par t y,

par t i cul ar l y

Mr s Teest a

Set al vad. I t

cannot be

f or got t en t hat

when an appeal

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was f i l ed by

Zahi r a i n t he

Supr eme Cour t

agai nst t he

j udgment and

or der of

Guj ar at Hi gh

Cour t and i nt he sai d

appeal Mr s

Teest a

Set al vad who

was a member

of t he NGO –

Ci t i zens f or

J ust i ce and

Peace, was

al so a par t y.

The Supreme

Cour t

ent er t ai ned

t he sai d

appeal ,

accept ed t he

af f i davi t of

Zahi r a and

ot her s,

per mi t t ed Mr s

Teest a

Set al vad t o

i nt er vene i n

t he mat t er

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and,

t her eaf t er ,

t he mat t er was

t r ansf er r ed t o

t he Bombay

Hi gh Cour t and

r equest was

made t o t heHon' bl e Chi ef

J ust i ce t o

assi gn t he

case t o t he

compet ent

t r i al cour t .

That being the

position,

Supreme Court

having passed

the said

direction,

possibly Mrs

Teesta

Setalvad

wanted to

ensure that

these

witnesses are

produced

before the

Court and,

therefore, in

our view, it

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u) The i dea of set t i ng up t he “Museum of

Resi st ance” event ual l y had t o be gi ven up i n

vi ew of t he escal at i ng pr i ces of t he l and. The

Sabrang Tr ust conveyed t he same t o t he member s

of t he Gul ber g Soci et y. The Soci et y by i t s

Resol ut i on dat ed November 10, 2012, scr apped t he

i dea of museum and r esol ved t hat al l member s of

t he soci et y wer e f r ee t o sel l or di spose of

t hei r t enement s. I t i s t hus evi dent t hat no

f al se pr omi ses wer e made by t he Appl i cant s’

t r ust at any poi nt of t i me and t he ent i r e

pr ocess was t r anspar ent t hr oughout . I t i s

submi t t ed t hat t he t ot al amount col l ect ed f r om

will not be

proper to

attribute any

other motive

to her. The

said

submission,

therefore, is

not accepted.

CBI ( under t he PMO)

r egi st er s an FI R agai nst

Teest a Set al vad, J aved

Anand and Ghul am PeshI mam di r ect or s of

Sabr ang Communi cat i ons

f or al l eged FCRA

vi ol at i ons

We do not have

a copy

Mumbai

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f or ei gn donor s on t hi s account was Rs. 50, 000/ - .

The sai d donor i s awar e of t he f act t hat t he

museum woul d not be bui l t and has advi sed t he

t r ust t hat t he amount be ut i l i zed f or pr ovi di ng

suppor t t o t he vi ct i ms of t he r i ot s. The t ot al

donat i ons r ecei ved f or t he pur poses of t he

museum i s appr oxi mat el y Rs. 4. 5 l akhs gi ven t o

Sabr ang t r ust onl y and al l donor s have advi sedt he donat i ons t o be used f or t he wi der pur poses

of t he Tr ust .

v) Dur i ng an year l y memor i al meet , Appl i cant No. 1

r ecei ved a l et t er pur por t i ng t o be f r om t he

Soci et y, st at i ng t hat t he Sabr ang Tr ust and t he

“Ci t i zens f or J ust i ce and Peace” have al l egedl y

col l ect ed huge sums of money f or bui l di ng a

museum whi ch have not been di scl osed t o the

Soci et y and have been usur ped by t he Sabrang

Tr ust . The Appl i cant No. 1 i mmedi at el y r epl i ed

t o t he sai d l et t er , quest i oni ng t he val i di t y of

t he al l egat i ons. Wher eupon t he of f i ce bear er s

of t he Soci et y t ol d t he Appl i cant s t hat t he

l et t er had been f orged and ther e was no quest i on

of t he Soci et y t aki ng such a st and par t i cul ar l y

when t he Soci et y had passed t hei r Resol ut i on

dat ed 10. 11. 2010.

w) Thr ee days t her eaf t er t he of f i ce bear er s of t he

Gul berg CHS Lt d. l odged a compl ai nt wi t h Meghani

Nagar Pol i ce St at i on, Guj ar at , Ahmedabad

al l egi ng t her ei n t hat t he sai d l et t er was

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f or ged. However t i l l dat e no act i on has been

i ni t i at ed wi t h r egar d t o t he sai d compl ai nt .

x) The Appl i cant s wer e f ur t her shocked when t hey

wer e i nf or med by t he of f i ce bear er s of t he

Gul ber g CHS Lt d. t hat a cer t ai n compl ai nt was

i ni t i at ed agai nst t hem by one Fi r ozkhan

Saeedkhan Pat han, who was a r esi dent of Gul berg

Soci et y, al l egi ng t hat Sabr ang Tr ust and

Ci t i zens f or J ust i ce and Peace have r ecei ved

f or ei gn and l ocal donat i ons i n t he name of

pr ovi di ng f i nanci al and l egal assi st ance t o t he

r i ot vi ct i ms and t o devel op Gul ber g Soci et y i nt o

a museum and have f ur t her al l egedl ymi sappr opr i at ed t he f unds so r ecei ved.

y) I n r esponse t o t hese al l egat i ons, Appl i cant No.

1 al ong wi t h t he ot her t r ust ees wr ot e a

det ai l ed l et t er dat ed Mar ch 13, 2013 t o the

J oi nt Commi ssi oner of Pol i ce, denyi ng t heal l egat i ons l evel ed agai nst t hem and cl ar i f yi ng

t hei r st and r egar di ng t he pur pose of t hei r

or gani zat i on, t he donat i ons r ecei ved by t hem and

t he suspect ed conspi r acy by t hei r f or mer

empl oyee Raees Khan Pat han agai nst t hem.

z) Ther eaf t er , on Mar ch 18, 2013, t he Chai r man of

t he Gul ber g Soci et y r ecei ved a l et t er f r om Dy.

Commi ss i oner of Pol i ce, Ahmedabad i nf ormi ng t hem

about t he compl ai nt pendi ng agai nst t he

Appl i cant s and di r ect ed t hem t o mai nt ai n st at us

8/20/2019 150724 Tsja Hc Aba


quo r egar di ng t he Soci et y. Anot her l et t er dat ed

March 18, 2013 was r ecei ved by Appl i cant No. 1

aski ng t he Appl i cant s t o f ur ni sh cer t ai n

document s and i nf or mat i on r egar di ng t hei r Tr ust

and t he al l egat i ons made agai nst t hem.

aa) By t hei r l et t er dat ed Mar ch 26, 2013, t he

Appl i cant s r epl i ed t o t he abovement i oned l et t er ,

once agai n cl ear l y st at i ng t hat t her e was no

mi sappr opr i at i on of f unds and t he t hat t he

account s of Trust wer e mandat or i l y and

st at ut or i l y audi t ed. Rel evant i nf or mat i on was

pr ovi ded. Appl i cant s r ecei ved anot her l et t er

dat ed May 8, 2013 f r om t he I nvest i gat i ngOf f i cer , aski ng t hem t o submi t answer s and

document s t o t he quest i ons posed i n t hei r

ear l i er l et t er dat ed 18. 03. 2013.

bb) Appl i cant s r epl i ed t o t he abovement i oned

l et t er , by t hei r l et t er dat ed May 20, 2013,wher ei n t hey expl ai ned t he r oot - cause of t he

mal a- f i de compl ai nt f i l ed agai nst t hem and

cl ar i f i ed t he posi t i on of donat i ons col l ect ed by

t he Sabr ang Tr ust

cc)

Ther eaf t er t he Appl i cant s nei t her r ecei vedany summons f r om t he I nvest i gat i ng Agency nor

di d t he I nvest i gat i ng Agency cal l t he Appl i cant s

f or i nt er r ogat i on. For a per i od of about 9

mont hs no r equi si t i ons and / or summons were

sent t o Appl i cant s cal l i ng t hem f or i nqui r y.

8/20/2019 150724 Tsja Hc Aba


dd) That on 4. 1. 2014, a f al se and mal i ci ous FI R

( FI R No. 1 of 2014) was r egi st er ed agai nst

Appl i cant Nos. 1 and 2 r egar di ng al l eged

mi sappr opr i at i on of f unds by a Tr ust bei ng r un

by t hem. The al l egat i on was t hat a cer t ai n

amount of money meant f or bui l di ng a museum was

used f or per sonal pur poses by the Tr ust ees.

Whi l e a det ai l ed and cat egor i cal expl anat i on was

pr ovi ded f or t he same, t he i nvest i gat i ng

agenci es have gone much beyond t he scope of t he

FI R and t he f al se al l egat i ons. On t he pr et ext of

i nvest i gat i ng, al l t he account s and r ecor ds of

t he or gani zat i ons bei ng r un by t he Appl i cantNos. 1 and 2, dat i ng back t o much bef ore t he

al l eged i nci dent wer e demanded f r om t hem. Even

t hough most of t he demands of t he document s,

r unni ng i nt o sever al t housand pages wer e

i r r el evant f or t he al l eged of f ence and cl ear l y

f or t he sol e pur pose of har assment , Appl i cant s

suppl i ed al l t he document s and i nf or mat i on

sought f r om t hen.

ee) The i nf or mat i on about t hese al l egat i ons had

sur f aced i n newspaper s much bef or e t he f i l i ng of

t he FI R i . e. Febr uar y, 2013. I n vi ew of t hese

news r epor t s, t he Appl i cant s ( and ot her Tr ust ees

of Ci t i zens of J ust i ce and Peace as wel l as

Sabr ang Tr ust ) had pr oact i vel y wr i t t en t o t he

Cr i me Br anch of Guj ar at Pol i ce f ur ni shi ng al l

r el evant document s and det ai l s r egar di ng t he

al l egat i ons.

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f f ) That i n J anuar y, 2014, i n pursuance of t he

abovement i oned FI R, t he bank account s of t he

Appl i cant Nos. 1 and 2 as wel l as t he bank

account s of t he Tr ust s bei ng r un by t hem wer e

f r ozen uni l at er al l y on t he basi s of l et t er s of

Cr i me Br anch dat ed 14. 1. 2014 wi t hout gi vi ng any

not i ce t o t he account hol der s or f ol l owi ng any

pr ocedur e.

gg) A ser i es of cor r espondence t ook pl ace

bet ween t he Appl i cant Nos. 1 and 2 and t he Cr i me

Br anch of Guj ar at Pol i ce r egar di ng t he FI R No. 1

of 2014, by way of whi ch document s r unni ng i nt o

t housands of pages wer e demanded by t he

I nvest i gat i ng agency and t he same were suppl i ed

t o t hem by the Appl i cant s. Appl i cant Nos. 1 and

2 had even personal l y appear ed bef ore t he

Guj ar at pol i ce and answer ed al l t he quer i es put

t o t hem. Fur t her , t he audi t or s of t he Tr ust s hadal so been di r ect ed t o answer cer t ai n quest i ons,

whi ch t hey answered as r equi r ed by t he Cr i me

Br anch.

hh) That t he Appl i cant s by t hei r l et t er s dat ed

15- 16. 12. 2015, 5- 6. 1. 2015, 4. 2. 2015, 3. 3. 2015,18. 3. 2015, 25. 3. 2015, 26. 3. 2015, 1. 4. 2015, and

4. 4. 2015, r espondent t o var i ous quer i es made by

t he Cr i me Br anch of Guj ar at Pol i ce and f ur ni shed

al l t he rel evant document s as r equi r ed by t hem.

8/20/2019 150724 Tsja Hc Aba


i i ) That t he Appl i cant s’ appl i cat i on f or

Ant i ci pat or y bai l r egar di ng FI R No. 1 of 2014

was r ej ect ed by t he Hon’ bl e Hi gh Cour t of

Guj arat on Febr uary 12, af t er more t han one year

of t he same bei ng f i l ed. Document s suppor t i ng

t he case of t he Appl i cant s, r unni ng i nt o

t housands of pages wer e on recor d bef ore t he

Hon’ bl e Hi gh Cour t but t he same were di sr egardedby t he Hi gh Cour t whi l e r ej ect i ng t he

appl i cat i on. That as soon as t he or der of

r ej ect i on of t he ant i ci pat or y bai l was

pr onounced, t he Guj ar at pol i ce reached t he

Mumbai r esi dence of Appl i cant Nos. 1 and 2 t o

ar r est t hem.

j j ) Aggr i eved by t he abovement i oned order , t he

Appl i cant s had i mmedi at el y appr oached t he

Hon’ bl e Supr eme Cour t chal l engi ng t he or der

dat ed 12. 2. 2015 by way of Cr i mi nal Appeal No.

338 of 2015. The same i s pendi ng bef or e t he

Hon’ bl e Supr eme Cour t of I ndi a and an i nt er i m

pr ot ect i on f r om ar r est has been gr ant ed t o t he

Appl i cant s by t he Cour t . Tr ue copi es of t he

orders passed by t he Hon’ bl e Supr eme Cour t of

I ndi a i n Cr i mi nal Appeal No. 338 of 2015 i s

annexed her ewi t h and mar ked as Annexure 7 Colly.

kk) That on Mar ch, 10, 2015, a l et t er was i ssued

by Guj ar at Gover nment ’ s Home Depar t ment t o t he

Mi ni st r y of Home Af f ai r s ur gi ng act i on agai nst

bot h Tr ust s- Ci t i zens f or J ust i ce and Peace and

Sabr ang Tr ust . The same was publ i shed on t he

8/20/2019 150724 Tsja Hc Aba


websi t e: www. deshguj arat . com. A t r ue copy of

t he sai d l et t er dat ed 10. 3. 2015 i s annexed

her ewi t h and mar ked as Annexure 8

l l ) That bet ween Apr i l 6 and Apr i l 11, 2015,

i . e. soon af t er t hi s l et t er i ssued by Guj ar at

Gover nment , t he account s of Ci t i zens f or J ust i ce

and Peace ( CJ P) and Sabr ang Trust –

or gani zat i ons r un by Appl i cant Nos. 1 and 2 wer e

i nspect ed by t he FCRA Team.

mm) Dur i ng t he abovement i oned i nspect i on, on

Apr i l 10, 2015, a f ur t her quer y/ not i ce r egar di ng

Sabr ang Communi cat i ons was gi ven by hand t o t he

Appl i cant s, al l egi ng cont r avent i on of Sect i on 11

of For ei gn Cont r i but i on ( Regul at i on) Act , 2010.

A quest i onnai r e was encl osed t her ewi t h and t he

Appl i cant s wer e di r ect ed t o f ur ni sh t he sai d

i nf or mat i on wi t hi n 15 days. A t r ue copy of t he

l et t er dat ed Apr i l 10, 2015 addr essed t o Sabr angCommuni cat i ons i s annexed her ewi t h and mar ked as

Annexure 9.

nn) As t he Appl i cant Nos. 1 and 2 at t hat poi nt

of t i me were not i n Mumbai and were at t endi ng t o

t hei r Ant i ci pat or y Bai l Appl i cat i on wi t h r egar dt o t he abovement i oned FI R No. 1 of 2014, whi ch

was l i st ed bef or e t he Hon’ bl e Supr eme Cour t of

I ndi a, t hey wr ot e a l et t er on Apr i l 21, 2015, t o

t he FCRA wi ng of t he Mi ni st r y of Home Af f ai r s,

r equest i ng t o be gr ant ed 2 weeks t i me mor e t o

http://www.deshgujarat.com./



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r espond t o t he l et t er dat ed Apr i l 10, 2015. A

t r ue copy of t he l et t er dat ed Apr i l 21, 2015 i s


oo) A det ai l ed wr i t t en r esponse t o l et t er dat ed

10. 4. 2015, was sent by Appl i cant No. 2 t o t he

FCRA Wi ng of t he Mi ni st r y of Home Af f ai r s by

l et t er dat ed Apr i l 27, 2015. I t was expl ai ned

t herei n t hat Sabr ang Communi cat i ons has not

r ecei ved any ‘ For ei gn Cont r i but i ons’ and

t her ef or e di d not r equi r e any per mi ssi on or

r egi st r at i on f or t he same. Al ongwi t h t hi s

l et t er , t he consul t ancy agr eement wi t h For d

Foundat i on as wel l as cor r espondence i ndi cat i ng TDS deduct i ons by For d Foundat i ons wer e

at t ached. A t r ue copy of t he l et t er dat ed Apr i l

27, 2015 i s annexed her ewi t h and mar ked as

Annexure 11.

pp)

That on J une 3, 2015, t he Appl i cant s, vi af ax, r ecei ved an I nspect i on Not i ce f or Sabr ang

Communi cat i ons f or i nspect i ng account s or

r ecor ds of t he or gani zat i on f or t he per i od

2006- 07 t o 2014- 15 i n vi ew of t he al l eged

vi ol at i on of pr ovi si ons of For ei gn Cont r i but i on

( Regul at i on) Act , 2010. A t r ue copy of t he sai d

I nspect i on Not i ce i s annexed her ewi t h and marked

as Annexure 12.

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qq) The i nspect i on t eam t hat ar r i ved at t he

pr emi ses of t he Sabr ang Communi cat i on on J une 8,

2015, was handed over a l et t er expl ai ni ng t he

consul t at i on agr eement wi t h For d Foundat i on and

of f er i ng al l possi bl e cooper at i on wi t h t he

i nspect i on pr ocedur e. A t r ue copy of t he l et t er

dat ed J une 8, 2015 i s annexed herewi t h and

mar ked as Annexure 13.

r r ) An I nspect i on Memo dat ed 9. 6. 2015 was i ssued

by t he FCRA Wi ng of t he Mi ni st r y of Home Af f ai r s

di r ect i ng t he Appl i cant s t o pr ovi de cer t ai n

i nf or mat i on r egar di ng account s and asset s of

Sabr ang Communi cat i ons & Publ i shi ng Pvt . Lt d. The I nspect i on Memo was r ecei ved by t he

Appl i cant s on J une 16, 2015, al ongwi t h a cover

l et t er dat ed J une 11, 2015. A t r ue copy of t he

sai d I nspect i on memo al ongwi t h t he cover l et t er



ss) That on J une 18, 2015, a l et t er was sent by

Appl i cant No. 2 t o t he FCRA Wi ng of t he Mi ni st r y

of Home Af f ai r s i n r esponse t o t he

abovement i oned I nspect i on memo and i t was

i nf or med t hat t hey woul d be f ur ni shi ng t he

r esponse t o t he quer i es i n t he I nspect i on memo

wi t hi n a week’ s t i me of r ecei pt of t he l et t er

i . e. bef or e or by J une 23, 2015. Anot her l et t er

was di spat ched on Sabr ang Communi cat i ons

l et t er head t o t he FCRA Wi ng of t he Mi ni st r y of

Home Af f ai r s i nf or mi ng t hat i nf or mat i on r equi r ed

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by t hem shal l be suppl i ed by J une 23, 2015. A

t r ue copy of t he l et t er s dat ed 18. 6. 2015 ar e


t t ) A l et t er dat ed 22. 6. 2015 was sent by Sabr ang

Communi cat i on t o t he FCRA Wi ng of t he Mi ni st r y

of Home Af f ai r s, pr ovi di ng a det ai l ed r esponse

t o t he I nspect i on Memo dat ed J une 9, 2015. I t

was ment i oned t her ei n t hat al l possi bl e

cooperat i on was ext ended and al l document s

demanded by t he i nspect i on t eam had been

f ur ni shed by Sabr ang Communi cat i ons. Al l det ai l s

sought under i nspect i on memo were al so pr ovi ded

by way of t hi s l et t er . A t r ue copy of t he l et t erdat ed 22. 6. 2015 i s annexed herewi t h and marked

as Annexure 16.

uu) On J une 26, 2015, t hr ough newspaper r epor t s,

t he Appl i cant s got i nf or mat i on t hat Mi ni st r y of

Home Af f ai r s has handed over t he i nvest i gat i onsr el at ed t o Sabr ang Communi cat i ons t o t he

Cent r al Bur eau of I nvest i gat i on.

vv) That on J une 30, 2015 t he Appl i cant s wr ot e a

l et t er t o sever al depar t ment s of Cent r al Bur eau

of I nvest i gat i on pr ovi di ng a det ai l ed backgr oundof t he mat t er i ncl udi ng t he det ai l ed Li st of

document s pr ovi ded t o t he FCRA Wi ng of t he

Mi ni st r y of Home Af f ai r s I nspect i on Team. I t was

ment i oned i n t he l et t er t hat t he Appl i cant s ar e

wi l l i ng t o f ul l y cooper at e i n any bonaf i de

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i nqui r y/ i nvest i gat i on and r equest ed t hat

suf f i ci ent not i ce be pr ovi ded, so t hat a

r epr esent at i ve i s avai l abl e wi t h al l t he

r equi r ed document s. A t r ue copy of t he l et t er



ww)

On J ul y 8, 2015, Appl i cant s got i nf or mat i on

f r om newspaper Repor t t hat Cent r al Bur eau of

I nvest i gat i on has r egi st er ed an FI R agai nst t hem

under t he pr ovi si ons of For ei gn Cont r i but i on

( Regul at i on) Act , 2010.

xx)

That i mmedi at el y, al l possi bl e ef f or t s wer e

made by t he Appl i cant s t o obt ai n a copy of t he

sai d FI R wer e t hey wer e unabl e t o obt ai n t he

same. The Advocat e of t he Appl i cant s had made a

cal l t o var i ous depar t ment s of Cent r al Bur eau of

I nvest i gat i on t o suppl y t hem a copy of t he FI R

but t hey r ef used t o f ur ni sh t he same, event hough i t i s t he r i ght of an accused t o be gi ven

a copy of t he FI R f i l ed agai nst hi m/ her . The

Appl i cant s coul d get a copy of t he FI R f r om

Hon’ bl e Cour t of t he ACMM, at Espl anade, Mumbai

on 16. 07. 2015. Her et o annexed i s t he copy of t he

FI R and i s mar ked as Annexure -18.

yy) On 14. 07. 2015 ar ound 7. 40 am mor e t han 15

of f i cer s of t he Respondent No. 1 r ai ded t he house

and t he of f i ce of t he Appl i cant s and cont i nued

t hei r r ai d unt i l ear l y mor ni ng on 15. 07. 2015. I t

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was onl y when t he of f i cers of t he Respondent

r eached t he pr emi ses of t he Appl i cant s t hat t he

Appl i cant s r eal i sed t hat an FI R has been

r egi st er ed wi t h t he Bombay of f i ce of t he CBI ,

vi de CR Nos. E 0006/ 2015 on 8. 7. 2015 under

sect i ons 120b of t he I ndi an Penal Code, Sect i on

35 and 37 r ead wi t h Sect i ons 3, 11 and 19 of t he

FCRA Act of 2010 whi ch cor r espond wi t h Sect i ons23, 25 r / w Sect i on 4, 6 and 13 of t he FCRA Act

1976. The mai n al l egat i on i n t he FI R i s cr i mi nal

conspi r acy f or i l l egal accept ance of f or ei gn

cont r i but i on wi t hout r egi st r at i on and pr i or

per mi ssi on Mi ni st r y of Home Af f ai r s ( MHA) ,

Gover nment of I ndi a. The Respondent sei zed al l

t he account document s r egar di ng t he FCRA

account s.

zz) The Appl i cant s f ul l y cooper at ed wi t h t he CBI

and al l owed t hem t o sear ch t he home and of f i ce

and even t o t he ext ent of sear chi ng per sonal

bel ongi ngs of t he chi l dr en of t he Appl i cant s.

The r ai d was conduct ed i nspi t e of t he f act t hat

t he Appl i cant s had, on J une 30, 2015 i t sel f

wi t hi n f our days of medi a repor t s of t he MHA

r ef er ence of t he mat t er t o CBI , pr o- act i vel y

wr i t t en t o t he Respondent , conveyi ng f ul l co-

oper at i on and r equest i ng not i ce of t i me when

r equi si t e document s coul d be suppl i ed t o t he

CBI . Not onl y that , on J ul y 10, 2015 al so t he

Appl i cant s made f ormal and t el ephoni c at t empt s

t o get a copy of t he FI R t o no avai l . Annexed

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her et o are copi es of bot h communi cat i ons t o t he

CBI col l ect i vel y mar ked as Annexure 19 Colly.

aaa) Dur i ng t he cour se of t he r ai d t he Appl i cant s

came t o know t hat an FI R has been r egi st ered

wi t h t he Mumbai of f i ce of t he Respondent under

var i ous sect i ons of t he FCRA Act , and al so t hat

t he Respondent had obt ai ned a search war r ant f or

t he pr emi ses of t he Appl i cant s. At t ached her et o

ar e copi es of t he t wo Panchnama Search Li st s

handed over t o t he appl i cant s by t he CBI Team

( one f or t he of f i ce and one f or t he home)

at t ached her et o as P-20 Colly.

bbb) That t he present Appl i cant s r espect f ul l y

submi t t hat t hey ser i ousl y and genui nel y

appr ehend t hat t hey may be ar r est ed i n r espect

of t he sai d FI R and hence appr oach t hi s Hon' bl e

Cour t f or di r ect i on t hat , i n t he event of t hei r

ar r est , t hey be r el eased on bai l on t hef ol l owi ng amongst ot her s:

G R O U N D S

A. BECAUSE t he pr esent Appl i cant s ar e

i nnocent and have been f al sel y

i mpl i cat ed i n t he pr esent case. The FI R

l odged agai nst t he pr esent Appl i cant s i s

ex- f aci e mal af i de and has been l odged t o

f al sel y i mpl i cat e t he Appl i cant s.

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B. BECAUSE t he FI R f i l ed agai nst t he

Appl i cant s i s based on a f al se and mal a-

f i de compl ai nt , sol el y f or t he pur pose

of har assi ng and t or t ur i ng t he

Appl i cant s. The Appl i cant s have been

act i vel y i nvol ved i n r ehabi l i t at i on wor k

i n Guj ar at af t er t he communal r i ot s i n

2002 and al so st r i vi ng t o ensur e t hat af ai r i nvest i gat i on i s car r i ed out

r egardi ng t he carnage. As t he carnage

was mot i vat ed and suppor t ed by communal

pol i t i cal out f i t s of t he par t y i n power ,

t he St at e Gover nment i s not appr eci at i ve

of t he ef f or t s of t he Appl i cant s and ar e

const ant l y t r yi ng t o di ssuade and

di srupt t he act i vi t i es of t he Appl i cant .

The present FI R i s al so l odged at t he

behest of t he pol i t i cal out f i t s and has

absol ut el y no mer i t i n i t .

C. BECAUSE t he Appl i cant s are J our nal i st s

by pr of essi on and ar e r esponsi bl e

ci t i zens of t he soci et y. Ther e i s no

r eason t o bel i eve t hat t he Appl i cant s

woul d not cooper at e wi t h t he

i nvest i gat i on and admi ni st r at i on of

j ust i ce. Even t i l l dat e, t he Appl i cant s

have ext ended al l possi bl e cooper at i on

and suppl i ed al l t he document s and

i nf or mat i on as demanded by t he

i nspect i on t eam. The pr esent case does

not war r ant cust odi al i nt er r ogat i on as

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t he mat t er i s based on document ar y

evi dence and t he Appl i cant s ar e r eady

and wi l l i ng t o par t i ci pat e i n t he

i nvest i gat i on.

D. BECAUSE gr ave i nj ust i ce woul d be caused

t o t he Appl i cant s i n case Ant i ci pat or y

Bai l i s not gr ant ed t o t hem as t he

al l egat i ons made out agai nst t hem ar e

f al se and basel ess and t her e i s no

r eason t o t ake t hem i n cust ody. Thei r

ar r est woul d cause an i r r epar abl e i nj ur y

wi t h r egar d t o t hei r r eput at i on and

unnecessar y harassment whi ch i s t he sol ei nt ent i on of t he compl ai nant .

E. BECAUSE t hi s i s a f i t case f or gr ant i ng

Ant i ci pat or y Bai l t o t he Appl i cant s as

not onl y ar e t he Appl i cant s bei ng

f al sel y i mpl i cat ed i n t he compl ai ntwhi ch has been made wi t h a mal a f i de

i nt ent i on, but t her e i s al so no r eason

f or di sbel i evi ng t hat t he Appl i cant s

woul d i nt er f er e i n any manner wi t h t he

admi ni st r at i on of j ust i ce or t he

i nvest i gat i on.

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F. The Hon’ bl e Supreme Cour t i n “Siddharam

Satlingappa Mhetre v. State of

Maharashtra &Ors. ”, ( 2011) 1 SCC 694,

has l ai d down cer t ai n gui del i nes f or

gr ant i ng Ant i ci pat or y Bai l and t he

pr esent mat t er sat i sf i es al l t he

cr i t er i on f or bei ng gr ant ed pr ot ect i on

f r om t hi s Hon’ bl e Cour t .

G. BECAUSE t he pr ovi si on under Sect i on 438

of Code of Cr i mi nal Pr ocedur e, 1973 i s

concer ned wi t h per sonal l i ber t y of an

i ndi vi dual and t he Appl i cant s appl yi ng

f or Ant i ci pat or y Bai l ar e ent i t l ed t ot he benef i t of t he pr esumpt i on of

i nnocence as on t he dat e of t he

appl i cat i on f or Ant i ci pat or y Bai l , t hey

ar e not convi ct ed of t he of f ence i n

r espect of whi ch t hey seek bai l . Thi s

pr i nci pl e has been hi ghl i ght ed i n t he

Const i t ut i on Bench j udgment of t he

Hon’ bl e Supr eme Cour t i n Gurbaksh Singh

Sibbia&Ors. vs. State of Punjab. ( 1980)

2 SCC 565. I n vi ew of t hi s pr i nci pl e,

Sect i on 438 has t o be gi ven ef f ect t o,

keepi ng i n mi nd t he i mpor t ance of

per sonal l i ber t y guar ant eed under

Sect i on 21 of t he Const i t ut i on of I ndi a.

H. BECAUSE t he i nspect i on memo i ssued by

t he FCRA Di vi si on of Mi ni st r y of Home

Af f ai r s was r esponded t o by t he

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Appl i cant s, gi vi ng a det ai l ed

expl anat i on about t he f unct i oni ng of

Sabrang Communi cat i ons and gi vi ng

i nf or mat i on about t he Consul t at i on

Agr eement ent ered i nt o by Sabr ang

Communi cat i on wi t h Ford Foundat i on.

I.

BECAUSE no case of vi ol at i on of Sect i on

3 of For ei gn Cont r i but i on ( Regul at i on)

Act , 2010 has been made out agai nst t he

Appl i cant s her ei n because no f or ei gn

cont r i but i on has been r ecei ved by t hem

i n t he capaci t y of Di r ect or s of Sabr ang

Communi cat i ons and Publ i shi ng Pvt . Lt d. The sai d al l egat i on i s basel ess and made

sol el y f or t he pur pose of har assi ng and

t or t ur i ng t he Appl i cant s her ei n.

J. BECAUSE r egi st r at i on under Sect i on 11 of

For ei gn Cont r i but i on ( Regul at i on) Act ,2010 i s not r equi r ed by Sabr ang

Communi cat i on as no cont r i but i on i s

bei ng recei ved by t he Company.

K. BECAUSE i n pur suance of t he i nspect i on

memo, accounts and r ecor ds of Sabrang

Communi cat i ons f r om Apr i l 2006 onwards

had been f ur ni shed t o t he I nspect i on

Team. That as per Rul e 17( 7) of For ei gn

Cont r i but i on ( Regul at i on) Rul es, 2011,

t he account s ar e r equi r ed t o be

pr eser ved f or si x year s. Ther e i s t hus

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no vi ol at i on of Sect i on 19 of For ei gn

Cont r i but i on ( Regul at i on) Act , 2010.

L. BECAUSE t he conduct of t he Appl i cant s

has been i mpeccabl e and i n t he past on

var i ous occasi ons, when an award has

been r ecei ved consi st i ng of f or ei gn

cur r ency, permi ss i on has been sought and

gr ant ed t o t hem by t he Mi ni st r y of Home

Af f ai r s.

M. BECAUSE t her e i s absol ut el y no vi ol at i on

of any pr ovi si on of t he For ei gn

Cont r i but i on ( Regul at i on) Act , 2010 by

t he Appl i cant s or t he Sabr ang

Communi cat i ons and Publ i shi ng Pvt . Lt d.

N. BECAUSE Sect i on 3 of FCRA, 2010 bar s

cer t ai n ' per sons' ( pol i t i cal par t i es and

i t s of f i ce bear er s, gover nment ser vant sand t hose associ at ed wi t h r egi st er ed

newspapers and t hose i nvol ved i n t he

pr oduct i on and br oadcast of news) f r om

r ecei vi ng f or ei gn donat i ons. However ,

t he ver y next sect i on, Sect i on 4 whi ch

i s Ti t l ed ' Persons to whom section 3

shall not apply ' st at es:

"Nothing contained in section 3 shall

apply to the acceptance, by any person

specified 3 in that section, of any

foreign contribution where such

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contribution is accepted by him, subject

to the provisions of section 10- (a) by

way of salary, wages or other

remuneration due to him or to any group

of persons working under him, from any

foreign source or by way of payment in

the ordinary course of business

transacted in India by such foreign

source;"

Sabr ang Communi cat i ons and Publ i shi ng

Pvt . Lt d Co. whi ch publ i shed t he mont hl y

' Communal i sm Combat ' si gned a

Consul t ancy Agr eement wi t h For d

Foundat i on i n 2004 and 2006 "t o addr ess

t he i ssues of cast e and communal i sm"

t hr ough a cl ear l y def i ned set of

act i vi t i es whi ch had not hi ng what soever

t o do wi t h Communal i sm Combat or

r emuner at i on t o t he Appl i cant s t owar ds

di schar gi ng edi t or i al / manager i al

f unct i ons.

O. BECAUSE t he Consul t ancy was s i gned by

Sabr ang Communi cat i ons onl y af t er advi ce

f r om emi nent l egal counsel t hat such an

agreement was cover ed under t he

excl usi on st i pul at ed under Sect i on 4 of

t he Act and t her ef or e t he consul t ancy

f ees ( not gr ant or donat i on) r ecei ved

woul d not be i n vi ol at i on of For ei gn

Cont r i but i on ( Regul at i on) Act , 1976

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whi ch was t he Act i n f or ce at t he t i me

of si gni ng t he Agr eement .

P. BECAUSE For d Foundat i on i n f act deduct ed

TDS wi t h ever y i nst al l ment of

consul t ancy f ees i t pai d t o Sabr ang

Communi cat i ons. The act i vi t i es

under t aken and t he expenses i ncur r edwere i n accordance wi t h t he agr eement .

Act i vi t i es and Fi nanci al Repor t s wer e

submi t t ed annual t o t he sat i sf act i on of

For d Foundat i on.

Q.

BECAUSE t he al l egat i on t hat nosegr egat ed voucher s or separat e account s

as pr oof of t he amount s r ecei ved were

mai nt ai ned by Sabrang Communi cat i ons and

Publ i shi ng Pr i vat e Li mi t ed i s i l l -

f ounded and t hi s i s cl ear f r om t he f act

t hat t hi s was so because t he Consul t ancy

amount s recei ved f r om t he For d

Foundat i on as per t he agr eement s of 2004

and 2006 wer e not t r eat ed as f orei gn

cont r i but i on under pr ovi si ons of For ei gn

Cont r i but i ons Regul at i on Act , 1976 and

t he amended For ei gn Cont r i but i ons

Regul at i on Act , 2010, but as par t of

i ncome i n t he or di nar y cour se of

busi ness of SCPPL. Accor di ngl y recei pt s

and payment s out of t he amount s r ecei ved

f r om For d Foundat i on wer e not mai nt ai ned

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separ at el y but wer e par t of t he I ncome

and Expendi t ur e st at ement of SCPPL.

R. BECAUSE i t i s t her ef or e bona f i de and i n

t he i nt er est s of j ust i ce t hat t he

Appl i cant s be admi t t ed t o ant i ci pat or y

bai l .

S. BECAUSE i t ’ s a case of document ar y

evi dence and t he Respondent has al r eady

sei zed al l t he document s, and t he

Appl i cant s have f ul l y cooper at ed wi t h

t he i nvest i gat i on and t her e i s no need

f or cust odi al i nt er r ogat i on.

8. The Appl i cat i ons i s made bonaf i de and i n t he

i nt er est of j ust i ce.

9. The Appl i cant cr aves l eave t o amend, and

al t er t he pr esent appl i cat i on.

10. Ther e i s no ot her appl i cat i on f i l ed

r egar di ng t hi s FI R and of f ence i n any ot her

cour t .

11. The Appl i cant t her ef or e prays:

PRAYERS

I n t he f act s and ci r cumst ances set out above i s

most r espect f ul l y pr ayed t hat t hi s honor abl e

Cour t pl eased t o:

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a. I n t he event of Ar r est i n FI R No. E00006

of 2015 r egi st er ed by t he CBI - EOW

( Mumbai ) t he Appl i cant be rel eased on

bai l ;

b. Pendi ng t he hear i ng and f i nal di sposal

of t hi s Appl i cat i on i n t he event of

Ar r est i n FI R No. E00006 of 2015

r egi st er ed by t he CBI - EOW ( Mumbai ) t he

Appl i cant be r el eased on bai l ;

c. I nt er i m and ad- i nt er i m rel i ef s i n t er ms

of pr ayer cl ause ( a) and ( b) ;

d. pass such f ur t her or der s as t hi s

honor abl e cour t may deem f i t and pr oper ;

AND FOR THIS ACT OF KINDNESS THE APPLICANTS

IN DUTY BOUND SHALL EVER PRAY

Vi j ay Hi r emat h

Advocat e f or t he Appl i cant s.

Mumbai

21. 07. 2015

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Ver i f i cat i on

I Tees t a Set al vad, Res i dent of

‘ Ni r ant ’ J uhu, Mumbai , do her eby

s o l emnl y af f i r m and s t at e as

under : -

I s t at e t hat what ever has

been s t a t ed i n pa r a gr a ph No . 1 t o

4 i s t r ue t o my knowl edge and

i nf or mat i on and ar e s t at ement of

f ac t s a nd r es t of t he par agr aphs

c ont ai ns l egal s ubmi s s i ons whi c h

ar e i nc or por at ed i n t he

appl i c at i on upon l egal adv i s e.

Sol emnl y af f i r med at

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ on t hi s

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ day of J ul y ,

2015.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - -

- - - - -

Deponent

Advocat e

I dent i f i ed by me,

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150724 Tsja Hc Aba