By SSZee Media
Delhi Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena has granted sanction to prosecute author Arundhati Roy and former Central University of Kashmir Professor Sheikh Showkat Hussain under the stringent Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) for their alleged provocative speech at an event in 2010, Raj Niwas officials confirmed on Friday.
In a statement, a Raj Niwas official stated, “Delhi Lt Governor VK Saxena has sanctioned the prosecution of Arundhati Roy and former Professor of International Law in Central University of Kashmir, Dr. Sheikh Showkat Hussain, under section 45 (1) of Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act in the case.”
Last October, Saxena had granted sanction to prosecute Roy and Hussain under section 196 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) for offenses punishable under different sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). The issues discussed at the conference reportedly propagated the separation of Kashmir from India. The Raj Niwas official elaborated, “The issues discussed and spoken about at the conference propagated the separation of Kashmir from India.”
The 2010 conference, held under the banner of ‘Azadi – The Only Way’ at LTG Auditorium, Copernicus Marg, in Delhi, included speeches from various figures such as late Hurriyat leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani, SAR Geelani (anchor of the conference and prime accused in the Parliament attack case), and Varavara Rao. Sushil Pandit, a Kashmiri activist, filed a complaint under Section 156(3) of the CrPC before the Metropolitan Magistrate Court, New Delhi, which led to the registration of an FIR on November 27, 2010.
The complaint alleged that Geelani and Arundhati Roy strongly propagated that Kashmir was never part of India and was forcibly occupied by the Armed Forces of India, urging for every possible effort to be made for the independence of Jammu and Kashmir from India. Recordings of the same were provided by the complainant.
On December 4, 2010, a Delhi court ordered the Delhi Police to register an FIR against Roy, Hussain, Syed Ali Shah Geelani, Varavara Rao, former Delhi University professor S.A.R. Geelani, Shuddhabrata Sengupta, and Sujato Bhadra for allegedly making anti-India statements during provocative speeches at the conference. The Delhi Police subsequently booked them under IPC sections 124-A (sedition), 504 (disturbing peace and tranquility), 505 (inciting statements), and Section 13 of the UAPA.
Arundhati Roy has been a vocal critic of the Modi government, voicing opposition on several issues. The sanction for prosecution under UAPA, over a decade after the event, has sparked discussions on free speech and governmental overreach.
According to media reports, several women BJP workers reportedly broke into Roy’s residence in Delhi’s Chanakyapuri, highlighting the intense political and social reactions to the case.
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