Mumbai: The Bombay High Court on Friday said it
would decide on June 24 if there was a need to add social
activist Teesta Setalvad as a respondent to the petition filed
by Yasmeen Shaikh, a witness in the 2002 Best Bakery case.
The division bench of Justices PV Hardas and MN Gilani
was hearing Yasmeen's petition seeking re-recording of her
evidence, saying her earlier statement before the trial court
was given at the behest of Setalvad and was false.
When special public prosecutor Manjula Rao pointed out
that Setalvad should be made a respondent, the bench said that
would be decided at the next hearing.
Yasmeen, in her petition filed last week, has alleged
that she had given a false statement before the special court
hearing the Best Bakery case at Setalvad's instance, in the
hope of getting financial help.
Yasmeen moved the Bombay High Court after no action was
taken on her letter dated June 17, 2010 addressed to its Chief
Justice.
She has now sought that her evidence be recorded afresh
by the High Court, which is hearing the appeals filed by the
nine convicts.
Yasmeen, sister-in-law of Zaheera Shaikh (complainant in
Best Bakery case from Vadodara during 2002 post-Godhra riots),
was the only prosecution witness from the Shaikh family who
stood by the police's case against the 17 accused. Rest of the
family, including Zaheera, had turned hostile, alleging that
they were forced by Setalvad to lie.
In February 2006, the special court here sentenced nine
accused to life imprisonment.
PTI
First Published: Friday, May 06, 2011, 23:56