Activist Teesta Setalvad (File)
A sessions court in Ahmedabad on Saturday permitted Mumbai-based activist Teesta Setalvad to travel abroad and ordered to release her passport for over a month. Setalvad had to deposit her passport in court’s custody as a condition of her anticipatory bail in the alleged case of hurting religious sentiments lodged at Ghatlodia police station in Ahmedabad, and another one in Bhavnagar by members of the VHP in 2014.
The sessions court directed the trial court to release Setalvad’s passport on the condition of that she deposits Rs 1 lakh as surety. The order reads, “The applicant (Setalvad) is hereby permitted to leave the local limits of India and travel abroad between 1/4/18 and 31/5/18/…actual travel period during the aforesaid period, whichever is earlier.” The court also ordered her to submit her itinerary and addresses of places she would visit.
Setalvad has been invited for lectures in Canada and USA. In Canada, she is expected to take part in Prof Mohan Singh Memorial Foundation lecture. In the US, she has been invited by the American Federation of Muslims of Indian Origin.