According to Raj Niwas officials on Tuesday, Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena has given his approval for the prosecution of author Arundhati Roy and a former Kashmiri professor in a 2010 case involving allegedly incendiary comments.
They noted that the FIR against Ms. Roy and former professor Sheikh Showkat Hussain was filed in accordance with directives from the New Delhi Metropolitan Magistrate Court.
“LG VK Saxena noted that prima facie a case is made out against Roy and Dr Hussain, former Professor, International Law, Central University of Kashmir, for commission of offence under sections 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) of Indian Penal Code for their speeches at a public function in the national capital,” a Raj Niwas official said on Tuesday.
A proper sanction for prosecution from the state government is required under Section 196(1) of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) for some offences, including hate speech, offences that harm religious emotions, hate crimes, sedition, engaging in war against the state, and fostering animosity, among others.
Two other accused, Kashmiri separatist leader Sayed Ali Shah Geelani and Delhi University lecturer Syed Abdul Rahman Geelani, were acquitted by the Supreme Court in the Parliament attack case on technical grounds.
A social activist from Kashmir named Sushil Pandit filed a complaint with the Tilak Marg Station House Officer on October 28, 2010, against a number of individuals and speakers who were involved in making “provocative speeches” in front of the public at a conference held on October 21 by the Committee for the Release of Political Prisoners (CRPP) under the slogan “Azadi – The Only Way.”
The complainant claimed that “Separation of Kashmir from India” was the topic addressed and promoted.
It was also alleged the speeches were provocative in nature, thus jeopardising public peace and security.
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Source: NDTV
