Delhi Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena has approved the prosecution of author Arundhati Roy under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) for allegedly making provocative speeches at a 2010 event. The FIR against Roy and former Central University of Kashmir professor Sheikh Showkat Hussain was registered following a complaint by social activist Sushil Pandit and a subsequent order by the Delhi Metropolitan Magistrate Court.
The complaint accused Roy and Hussain, along with others like Syed Ali Shah Geelani, SAR Geelani, and Varavara Rao, of delivering inflammatory speeches at a conference titled ‘Azadi-The Only Way’ in Delhi. The Metropolitan Magistrate Court directed the registration of the FIR, which led to an investigation into the allegations. Last October, the LG had also sanctioned their prosecution under section 196 of the CrPC for offences under various sections of the Indian Penal Code, including promoting enmity and making statements prejudicial to national integration.
A Raj Niwas official confirmed that Saxena’s sanction was granted under section 45(1) of the UAPA. The approval paves the way for legal proceedings against Roy and Hussain, based on charges that include promoting enmity between different groups and conducting acts detrimental to national harmony.
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