Delhi Lieutenant Governor (LG) Vinai Kumar Saxena on Friday granted sanction to prosecute author Arundhati Roy under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) for allegedly making provocative speeches at an event in 2010.
The FIR was registered against the Booker Prize-winning author and former Central University of Kashmir professor Sheikh Showkat Hussain following the orders of the Court of Metropolitan Magistrate in Delhi.
The FIR was registered on the complaint made by a social activist Sushil Pandit in October 2010. "Delhi Lt Governor V.K. 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 was quoted by PTI.
Roy and Hussian were accused of making provocative speeches at a conference organised under the banner 'Azadi-The Only Way' in Delhi.
Along with Roy, Syed Ali Shah Geelani, SAR Geelani, and Varavara Rao were among those who spoke at the event.
The complainant filed a complaint under Section 156(3) of CrPC before the Metropolitan Magistrate Court, New Delhi, which disposed of the complaint on November 27, 2010, with the directions to register an FIR.
Accordingly, an FIR was registered and an investigation was carried out.
Last October, the LG 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).
