Delhi LG grants prosecution sanction against Arundhati Roy under UAPA

New Delhi: Delhi Lt Governor V K Saxena has accorded sanction to prosecute author Arundhati Roy and a former professor in Kashmir under the stringent Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act for allegedly making provocative speeches at an event here in 2010, Raj Niwas officials said on Friday.

The FIR against Roy and former Central University of Kashmir professor Sheikh Showkat Hussain was registered following the orders of the Court of Metropolitan Magistrate, New Delhi, they added.

There was no immediate reaction from Roy and Hussain.

The FIR in the matter was registered on a complaint made by Sushil Pandit, a social activist from Kashmir, on October 28, 2010.

Roy and Hussain had allegedly made provocative speeches at a conference organised under the banner of 'Azadi - The Only Way' on October 21, 2010 at LTG Auditorium, Copernicus Marg, here.

Pandit had alleged that participants at the conference discussed and propagated "Separation of Kashmir from India." He later filed a complaint before the court of Metropolitan Magistrate.

The FIR in the case was registered on November 29, 2010 for several offences, including sedition and under Section 13 of Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967.

Besides Roy, Hussain, Syed Ali Shah Geelani, who was also Chairman of Tehreek-e-Hurriyat, and SAR Geelani, others present on the occasion included Varavara Rao, an accused in the Bhima-Koregaon case.

"Syed Ali Shah Geelani and Arundhati Roy, strongly propagated that Kashmir was never the part of India and was forcibly occupied by Armed Forces of India and every possible effort should be made for the independence of the State of J&K from India.

"The statements of some of the speakers during the conference were mentioned by the complainant in his complaint," the official said.

The transcripts of speeches given by Roy, SAR Geelani, and SAS Geelani and two exhibits -- a CD and DVD — sent for forensic examination at the computer division of CFSL in 2017 -- were submitted as evidence against the speakers.

"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," a Raj Niwas official said on Friday.

Last October, the LG had granted sanction to prosecute them under section 196 of CrPC for commission of offences punishable under different sections of the Indian Penal Code: 153A (promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race, place of birth, residence, language, etc., and doing acts prejudicial to maintenance of harmony), 153B (imputations, assertions prejudicial to national-integration) and 505 (statements conducing to public mischief).

The complainant filed a complaint under Section 156(3) of CrPC before the Metropolitan Magistrate Court, New Delhi, who disposed the complaint on November 27, 2010 with the directions to register an FIR.

Accordingly, an FIR was registered and investigation was carried out, they said.