Mumbai: Granting protection to NGO activist Teesta Setalvad and her associate Rais Khan, the Bombay High Court today (Nov 23, 2004) directed Gujarat and Maharashtra Governments to give her 72 hours notice in case they wanted to arrest her on allegations made by prime witness in Best Bakery case, Zaheera Shaikh, that she was pressurised by them to give false evidence in the court.

Justice Ajay Khanvilkar disposed off anticipatory bail petition of Teesta and Rais, as Gujarat Government told the court that they had not filed any FIR against them so far.

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The court noted that the question of anticipatory bail will arise only if FIR was filed and hence it disposed off the petition asking both the State Governments to give 72 hours notice to the petitioners to enable them move the court for relief.

In keeping with the court's directive, the Gujarat Government, in an affidavit, said that it had not filed any FIR so far against Teesta and Rais on the basis of Zaheera's allegations.

Both of them feared arrest as Zaheera had filed an affidavit on November 3 before Vadodara collector alleging that she was forced to come to Mumbai at the behest of Teesta, kept in wrongful confinement for nearly a month, made to sign documents and pressurised to falsely depose before the Mumbai court in Bakery case in the name of Qaum (community).

Teesta is the general secretary of Citizens for Justice and Peace, a NGO which supported Zaheera earlier in her legal battle as a result of which Supreme Court ordered re-trial of Bakery case in Mumbai.

The petitioners said they feared arrest as Zaheera had alleged that she was abducted with her family by Rais, a volunteer of the NGO, and kept against their wishes in a hotel in Mumbai for few days and later at Teesta's house for a month, besides being forced to sign documents and give false evidence in a Mumbai court.

Their counsel Satish Maneshinde and Sayaji Nangre argued that the contents of Zaheera's affidavit allege commission of non-bailable offences.

Denying the allegations, the petitioners said they were not involved in abducting Zaheera and family or keeping them in wrongful confinement and issuing threats. On the contrary, they have supported Zaheera because of which the apex court ordered re-trial of the Best Bakery case in Maharashtra.