Wine, rum and Jodhaa Akbar: Gujarat Police claim activist Teesta Setalavad misused funds meant for riot victims

New Delhi: The Gujarat police has opposed the anticipatory bail plea of Teesta Setalvad in the Supreme Court, saying the social activist and her husband “misappropriated” funds meant for charity for various personal expenses,  besides tampering with evidence. [caption id=“attachment_2341218” align=“alignleft” width=“380” class=" “] Teesta Setalvad. Image courtesy- AFP[/caption] The police have made these allegations in an affidavit filed in the court. They have claimed that Setalvad and her husband Javed Anand as trustees of two trusts – Sabrang Trust and Citizens for Justice and Peace (CJP) – have by “diverse methods” allegedly “misappropriated the funds of charity and converted to their own use funds meant for the rehabilitation and welfare of the unfortunate victims of riots in Gujarat in Feb-March 2002.” These are some of the things for which, according to the police, Teesta misappropriated funds- 1) Alcohol, including wine, whiskey and rum 2) Movie CDs of films Singham, Jodhaa Akbar and Paa 3) Personal items like ear buds, wet wipes, nail clippers and several books including Mills and Boons books and thrillers. 4) Sanitary napkins claimed as “medical expenses”, purchased by Teesta as well as her husband. 5) Hair styling expenses during trips to Rome and Pakistan 6) Construction of a “dream museum”. 7) payment for several pairs of spectacles 8) Wining and dining at some of the best restaurants and fast food outlets of Mumbai. Several of the expenses were said to have been debited under the head “Secular Education” or “Legal Aid Expenses”. The affidavit said 45 per cent of total funds received by Sabrang Trust in 2008-13 have gone to Setalvad and her husband either directly or through Sabrang Communication Pvt Limited (SCPPL) which was fully owned by them. “The inescapable conclusion is that the entire amount paid by Sabrang Trust to SCPPL has been siphoned off by petitioner under the guise of cash withdrawal and cheque payments. SCPPL is a vehicle used by the petitioners for the purpose of siphoning donations to the Sabrang Trust,” it said. “In addition to salary, the petitioners (Setalvad and her husband) have claimed medical allowance of Rs 25,000 each. The riot victims have received no medical allowance whereas the petitioners have claimed these medical expenses and even exceeded this liberal allowance in some years,” it said. Teesta is the secretary of CJP, which has fighting a legal battle seeking prosecution of Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his role in the 2002 riots. She has alleged that she, along with her husband, has been implicated in the case of misappopriation of funds and were victims of political vendetta. With inputs from PTI