[Reader-list] Court asks cops to file report on Arundhati Roy

[Sanjay Khak]

*Court asks cops to file report on Arundhati*
November 04, 2010   11:28:17 AM

*Shikha Verma | New Delhi*

A city court on Wednesday directed Delhi Police to file a status report on a
complaint filed against Hurriyat Leader SAS Geelani, author-turned-activist
Arundhati Roy and others on the charges of sedition and for their hate
speech against India in the Capital on October 21. “The Tilak Marg Station
House Officer (SHO) is directed to file a status report on November 16,”
Metropolitan Magistrate Navita Kumari Bagha said.

Complainant Sushil Pandit submitted that in the “derogatory” speeches, the
accused had claimed that Kashmir was never part of India. *Prima facie*, a
case of sedition was made out against the accused as they had “openly
challenged the integrity and the authority” of the Government of India,
Pandit’s counsel said. “It is a case of invoking hatred, breach of peace and
disaffection towards the Govern-ment. Being a citizen of this country, the
complainant is duly empowered by the Constitution to seek registration of an
FIR against the accused,” he argued.

The SHO has to submit in the status report as to whether the complainant had
approached the police earlier with a complaint and what action did the
police take on it. The complaint alleged that as the Government had
“miserably failed” to initiate any action against the “culprits”.

The counsel said, “In the session, Arundhati Roy apparently pointed toward
imaginary Kashmiris and said: ‘*Bhookha nanga Hindustan aapke sath hai’*.
She made provocative, anti-national and mischievous statements that were
clearly intended to cause public disorder and uproar in Kashmir and other
parts of India.

She said, ‘Not only does Kashmir want *azadi* from India, India also wants *
azadi* from Kashmir’.”

Besides Geelani, Parliament attack convict (later acquitted) Prof SAR
Geelani and Roy, the complaint also sought prosecution of four others,
including Jammu & Kashmir University prof Sheikh Showkat Hussain, pro-Maoist
writer Varavara Rao, APDR activist Sujato Bhadra and self-styled media
critic Shuddhabrata Sengupta.