New Delhi: Activist TeestaSetalvad and her husband JavedAnand have got a temporary reprieve when the Bombay High Court on Thursday ordered that they would not be arrested till May 2. The court ruling was in a criminal case lodged against them by the Gujarat police for alleged misappropriation of funds.

A bench of Justice RevatiMohite-Dere gave the two interim protection from arrest on their plea for “transit anticipatory bail”, filed on Wednesday. While allowing their plea, the bench asked them to appear before the probe agency on Friday for recording their statements and later, as and when required.

The Ahmedabad Crime Branch had last week lodged a complaint against Setalvad and Anand, alleging that through their NGO Sabrang Trust, they had ‘fraudulently’ secured central government funds to the tune of Rs 1.4 crore between 2008 and 2013.

According to the complaint on the basis of which the case was lodged, the funds had been secured to provide education to poor children in Gujarat and Maharashtra and to help victims of the 2002 post- Godhra riots in Gujarat, but were misappropriated or used for other purposes.

The case was registered against Setalvad and Anand under various sections, including 403 (dishonest misappropriation of property), 406 (criminal breach of trust), and 409 (criminal breach of trust by public servant, or by banker, merchant or agent) of the Indian Penal Code.

The activists had on Wednesday approached the high court seeking a transit anticipatory bail. Senior counsel Mihir Desai, representing Setalvad and Anand, had told the high court that both of them were willing to appear before the investigating agency on Friday to record their statements.