2002 Sardarpura massacre: Teesta didn’t tutor witnesses, says court

The special court in Mehsana, which sentenced 31 people to life term in the Sardarpura massacre of 2002, has rejected the allegations that witnesses were tutored by activist Teesta Setalvad. The court has held that guiding the witnesses cannot be termed as tutoring them.

During the course of trial, the prosecution had alleged that the witnesses had been tutored by Setalvad, secretary of Citizens for Justice and Peace (CJP).  Allegations were also made that the witnesses had been made to sign false affidavits and were misled by the office-bearers of CJP.

The court, however, ended the controversy while delivering the judgment on Wednesday by acquitting Setalvad from the allegations. "Tutoring witnesses is quite different from guiding them in their behaviour. In the present case, the injured witnesses were in such a state of mind that without the active support of someone, they might not have come before the court,'' the court said in its order.

The court further held that Setalvad's motive was not wrong. She helped victims face questions in court. "Mere discussion about the case would not indicate tutoring,'' the court held in its order. The court has further stated that the encouragement and advice provided by the CJP cannot be considered as tutoring.