NC, PDP disapproves of prosecution sanction against Arundhati Roy, ex-professor under UAPA
prosecution sanction against author Arundhati Roy and a former professor in Kashmir under the stringent UAPA for allegedly making provocative speeches at an event in Delhi in 2010. According to officials, the FIR against Roy and former Central University of Kashmir professor Sheikh Showkat Hussain was registered following the orders of the Court of Metropolitan Magistrate, New Delhi.
Expressing disapproval of the move, the National Conference (NC) stressed the need to uphold the fundamental right of every citizen to free speech as guaranteed by Article 19 of the Constitution.
«The NC expresses its strong disapproval of the prosecution of author Arundhati Roy and Dr Sheikh Showkat Hussain under the UAPA (Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act). The use of anti-terror laws to suppress dissent and criminalize speech is deeply concerning,» it said in a post on 'X'.
«It is also imperative to note that this permission has been granted 14 long years after the alleged speech took place. In the intervening years the speech has been all but forgotten and didn't vitiate the atmosphere in J&K,» it said.
The NC said this prosecution would serve no purpose except perhaps to show that the «hardline stance of the BJP/Union Government won't change despite the electoral setback they recently faced».
Delhi Lt Governor V K Saxena on Friday accorded sanction to prosecute author Arundhati Roy and a former professor in Kashmir under the stringent Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act for allegedly making provocative speeches at an event
