“Arundhati Roy Accused of Sedition Over Kashmir Remarks in 2010”
“Arundhati Roy Accused of Sedition Over Kashmir Remarks in 2010”
Renowned Indian author Arundhati Roy is facing the possibility of prosecution for comments she made over a decade ago that have been labeled seditious by a top official in Delhi. Roy, celebrated for her Booker Prize-winning novel “The God of Small Things,” has also penned two collections of political writing and is well-known for her vocal criticism of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
In a 2022 op-ed published by CNN, Roy drew parallels between India’s ruling Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the January 6th rioters at the US Capitol. She candidly mentioned that she, along with others, is considered an “anti-national” by the Indian government, primarily due to her writings and statements, particularly those concerning Kashmir.
These recent developments in Arundhati Roy’s case unfold in the backdrop of the Modi administration’s intensifying crackdown on its critics, raising concerns about the stifling of free speech. Just this month, the police in New Delhi conducted raids on the homes of prominent journalists associated with a left-leaning news organization that is known for scrutinizing the Indian government. The police announced the arrest of the outlet’s editor and a colleague as part of an ongoing investigation linked to India’s Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, commonly criticized as a draconian anti-terror law.
In February, Indian tax authorities raided the offices of the BBC in New Delhi and Mumbai, accusing the broadcaster of tax evasion. These raids came shortly after India banned a documentary produced by the BBC that critiqued Modi’s alleged involvement in deadly riots over two decades ago.
On Tuesday, Delhi’s Lieutenant Governor V. K. Saxena released a statement confirming that a case for sedition against Arundhati Roy and others has been established, and prosecution has been authorized, pending approval from the courts.
The case against Roy was initiated in 2010 in response to comments she made at a conference on Kashmir titled “Azadi – the Only Way Ahead.” The term “azadi” translates to freedom or liberation and is often used as a slogan in the Kashmiri independence movement.
The initial complaint alleged that speeches made by Roy and her co-defendants were provocative in nature and posed a threat to public security by suggesting that Kashmir was never a part of India and advocating for Kashmiri independence, according to the Lieutenant Governor’s office.
Two of the accused, Kashmiri separatist leader Sayed Ali Shah Geelani and Delhi University lecturer Syed Abdul Rahman Geelani, have passed away since the initial complaint was filed. Sheikh Showkat Hussain, a former international law professor at the Central University of Kashmir, still faces charges alongside Arundhati Roy.
In her 2010 speech, which is available online, Roy discussed Kashmiri efforts to seek justice, particularly regarding the mass exodus of Hindus from Muslim-majority Ka
These recent developments in Arundhati Roy’s case unfold in the backdrop of the Modi administration’s intensifying crackdown on its critics, raising concerns about the stifling of free speech. Just this month, the police in New Delhi conducted raids on the homes of prominent journalists associated with a left-leaning news organization that is known for scrutinizing the Indian government. The police announced the arrest of the outlet’s editor and a colleague as part of an ongoing investigation linked to India’s Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, commonly criticized as a draconian anti-terror law.
In February, Indian tax authorities raided the offices of the BBC in New Delhi and Mumbai, accusing the broadcaster of tax evasion. These raids came shortly after India banned a documentary produced by the BBC that critiqued Modi’s alleged involvement in deadly riots over two decades ago.
On Tuesday, Delhi’s Lieutenant Governor V. K. Saxena released a statement confirming that a case for sedition against Arundhati Roy and others has been established, and prosecution has been authorized, pending approval from the courts.
The case against Roy was initiated in 2010 in response to comments she made at a conference on Kashmir titled “Azadi – the Only Way Ahead.” The term “azadi” translates to freedom or liberation and is often used as a slogan in the Kashmiri independence movement.
The initial complaint alleged that speeches made by Roy and her co-defendants were provocative in nature and posed a threat to public security by suggesting that Kashmir was never a part of India and advocating for Kashmiri independence, according to the Lieutenant Governor’s office.
Two of the accused, Kashmiri separatist leader Sayed Ali Shah Geelani and Delhi University lecturer Syed Abdul Rahman Geelani, have passed away since the initial complaint was filed. Sheikh Showkat Hussain, a former international law professor at the Central University of Kashmir, still faces charges alongside Arundhati Roy.
In her 2010 speech, which is available online, Roy discussed Kashmiri efforts to seek justice, particularly regarding the mass exodus of Hindus from Muslim-majority Ka
These recent developments in Arundhati Roy’s case unfold in the backdrop of the Modi administration’s intensifying crackdown on its critics, raising concerns about the stifling of free speech. Just this month, the police in New Delhi conducted raids on the homes of prominent journalists associated with a left-leaning news organization that is known for scrutinizing the Indian government. The police announced the arrest of the outlet’s editor and a colleague as part of an ongoing investigation linked to India’s Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, commonly criticized as a draconian anti-terror law.
In February, Indian tax authorities raided the offices of the BBC in New Delhi and Mumbai, accusing the broadcaster of tax evasion. These raids came shortly after India banned a documentary produced by the BBC that critiqued Modi’s alleged involvement in deadly riots over two decades ago.
On Tuesday, Delhi’s Lieutenant Governor V. K. Saxena released a statement confirming that a case for sedition against Arundhati Roy and others has been established, and prosecution has been authorized, pending approval from the courts.
The case against Roy was initiated in 2010 in response to comments she made at a conference on Kashmir titled “Azadi – the Only Way Ahead.” The term “azadi” translates to freedom or liberation and is often used as a slogan in the Kashmiri independence movement.
The initial complaint alleged that speeches made by Roy and her co-defendants were provocative in nature and posed a threat to public security by suggesting that Kashmir was never a part of India and advocating for Kashmiri independence, according to the Lieutenant Governor’s office.
Two of the accused, Kashmiri separatist leader Sayed Ali Shah Geelani and Delhi University lecturer Syed Abdul Rahman Geelani, have passed away since the initial complaint was filed. Sheikh Showkat Hussain, a former international law professor at the Central University of Kashmir, still faces charges alongside Arundhati Roy.
In her 2010 speech, which is available online, Roy discussed Kashmiri efforts to seek justice, particularly regarding the mass exodus of Hindus from Muslim-majority Kashmir in the early 1990s due to escalating violence.
For decades, Kashmir has been at the center of a contentious territorial dispute between India and Pakistan, both of which lay claim to the entire mountainous region. Separatist violence in Kashmir results in hundreds of casualties annually, as reported by human rights organizations.