The Bombay High Court on Thursday said social activists Teesta Setalvad and her husband and associate Javed Anand cannot be arrested till May 2 in a criminal case lodged against them by the Gujarat police for alleged misappropriation of funds, PTI reported.

Justice Revati Mohite-Dere provided the activists with interim protection from arrest, after they approached the court seeking transit anticipatory bail as they are due to appear before the police in Ahmedabad on Friday.

Allowing the plea, Mohite-Dere allowed the plea and referred it to a larger bench. She said the interim protection can be extended if a larger bench is not constituted by then, ANI reported.

The Ahmedabad Crime Branch has alleged that Setalvad and Anand, through their NGO Sabrang Trust, fraudulently secured central government funds amounting to Rs 1.4 crore between 2008 and 2013.

According to the crime branch’s case, the funds were secured to provide education to poor children in Gujarat and Maharashtra and to help victims of the 2002 riots in Gujarat, but were instead allegedly used for other purposes.