Sedition case filed against Arundhati, Geelani
Kashmiri separatist leader, Syed Ali Shah Geelani, writer-activist Arundhati Roy and five others were charged with “sedition”, “promoting enmity” and “circulating rumours with the intent to cause mutiny” by the Delhi police on Monday following their remarks at a seminar held at LTG auditorium last month.
The police said the seven accused in the case including Delhi University professor, SAR Geelani, law professor at Kashmir University, Sheikh Showkat Hussain and revolutionary poet, Vara Vara Rao have been booked under sections under sections 124A (sedition), 153A (promoting en-mity between classes), 153B (imputations, assertions prejudicial to national integration), 504 (insult intended to provoke breach of peace) and 505 (false statement, rumour circulated with intent to cause mutiny or offence against public peace in a case registered at Tilak Marg police station in the national capital.
All the seven face immediate arrest and will have to approach court for availing bail. Mr Geelani and Ms Roy had attended a seminar held under the banner “Azadi-the Only Way” on Oct 21 at LTG auditorium where they allegedly made remarks amounting to sedition but no action was taken by police. After a complaint was filed by a Kashmiri Pandit, Sushil Pandit, a Delhi court had asked the Delhi police to initiate criminal proceedings against the seven accused as there was “enough prima facie evidence” against them.
The court had rejected the status report filed by Delhi police, which had stated that no violations of laws had taken place at the LTG seminar in New Delhi, where Geelani and Roy made speeches. The court had said on Saturday, “The Delhi police is hereby directed to lodge an FIR under relevant provisions of the Indian Penal Code and file a report in this regard on January 6, 2011 the next date of hearing.” Ms Roy earlier reacted to court orders and said, “they should perhaps file a charge against Jawaharlal Nehru posthumously” and cited 14 documents where Nehru was shown stating that “the question of accession in any disputed territory or state must be decided in accordance with wishes of people”.
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