Teesta Setalvad (born 9 February 1962) is an Indian journalist and civil rights activist. She is the secretary of Citizens for Justice and Peace, an organisation formed in 2002 to give legal support to survivors of the communal violence in Gujarat that year, and the co-editor of the magazine Communalism Combat. Her work has brought her national honours and, in later years, criminal cases that she and her supporters describe as retaliation.
Quick Facts
| Full name | Teesta Setalvad |
| Born | 9 February 1962, Mumbai, Maharashtra, India |
| Age | 64 |
| Occupation | Journalist, civil rights activist |
| Known for | Citizens for Justice and Peace; Communalism Combat |
| Education | University of Bombay (B.A. Philosophy) |
| Spouse | Javed Anand |
| Children | 2 |
| Awards | Padma Shri (2007); Nuremberg International Human Rights Award (2003) |
Early Life
Setalvad was born into a family of lawyers in Mumbai. Her father, Atul Setalvad, was an advocate, and her grandfather, M. C. Setalvad, was the first Attorney General of India. She took a degree in philosophy at the University of Bombay and chose journalism over the law.
Career
She began reporting in 1983 and worked for The Daily, the Indian Express and the magazine Business India. Covering the riots at Bhiwandi in 1984 and the violence in Mumbai in 1992–93 turned her attention to communal conflict. In 1993 she and her husband, the journalist Javed Anand, left their jobs to start Communalism Combat, a monthly that documented religious hatred and the organisations behind it.
After the Gujarat riots of 2002 she helped found Citizens for Justice and Peace with a group of Mumbai citizens that included the playwright Vijay Tendulkar. The organisation provided lawyers and support to witnesses in the major riot trials. Its petitions contributed to the Supreme Court’s decision to move the Best Bakery case out of Gujarat and to appoint a Special Investigation Team for nine of the gravest cases. More than a hundred people were eventually convicted in these trials, among them a former state minister whose conviction was later overturned on appeal. The group also supported Zakia Jafri, widow of a former member of Parliament killed at Gulberg Society, in her long attempt to have senior officials investigated.
Her methods were challenged from early on. A key witness in the Best Bakery case accused her of pressure and was later convicted of perjury. Former residents of Gulberg Society complained in 2014 that money collected for a memorial had been misused, an allegation she denies, and her organisations were investigated over foreign funding.
On 24 June 2022 the Supreme Court dismissed Zakia Jafri’s final petition and remarked that those who had kept the matter alive should be proceeded against. Setalvad was arrested the next day by the Gujarat police on charges of fabricating evidence. The Supreme Court gave her interim bail that September and regular bail in July 2023, calling the High Court order that had refused it perverse. The case has continued, and her passport remains with the court as a condition of bail.
Writing
Her memoir, Foot Soldier of the Constitution, was published in 2017. She has also written school texts and essays on the teaching of history.
Personal Life
She is married to Javed Anand, with whom she runs the news site Sabrang India. They have a daughter and a son and live in Mumbai.
Frequently Asked Questions
When and where was Teesta Setalvad born?
Teesta Setalvad was born on 9 February 1962 in Mumbai, Maharashtra, India and is 64 years old.
What is Teesta Setalvad known for?
Known for: Citizens for Justice and Peace; Communalism Combat.
What honours has Teesta Setalvad received?
Padma Shri (2007); Nuremberg International Human Rights Award (2003).
Featured image: Teesta Setalvad speaks at a programme of the Solidarity Youth Movement in Kerala, January 2016. Photo by Zuhairali, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
