Arundhati Roy Faces Charges Over 2010 Provocative Speech

Delhi Police will file a charge sheet against author Arundhati Roy and former professor Sheikh Showkat Hussain under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act for alleged provocative speeches in 2010. The charge sheet includes videos, forensic evidence, and eyewitness accounts.

Delhi Police are set to file a charge sheet next week against author Arundhati Roy and former Central University of Kashmir professor Sheikh Showkat Hussain. They are charged under the stringent Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act for making alleged provocative speeches in 2010, according to official sources.

Roy and Hussain had reportedly delivered inflammatory speeches at a conference titled 'Azadi - The Only Way' held at LTG Auditorium, Copernicus Marg, on October 21, 2010. The FIR, initiated on a complaint by social activist Sushil Pandit, was filed at Tilak Marg Police Station following the orders of the Court of Metropolitan Magistrate, New Delhi, and later transferred to the Delhi Police Crime Branch for further investigation.

The charge sheet, which runs over a thousand pages, cites several videos and forensic evidence, along with over half a dozen eyewitness testimonies. Last Friday, Delhi Lt Governor V K Saxena sanctioned their prosecution under Section 45 (1) of UAPA. Earlier sanctions were provided for prosecution under Section 196 of CrPC for offenses under various sections of the Indian Penal Code.

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