Arundhati Roy, the esteemed author who clinched the Booker Prize, now findsherself facing potential prosecution in India due to a speech she delivered13 years ago on the topic of India-Occupied Kashmir. This legal action hasbeen set in motion following the approval of a high-ranking official, asreported by local media on Wednesday.
The catalyst for this legal predicament was a complaint filed in 2010 by a”social activist” hailing from India-Occupied Kashmir. The complaint waslodged in response to speeches given by Arundhati Roy and three otherindividuals during a conference organized by a human rights group.
Arundhati Roy, known for her staunch criticism of India’s policies inOccupied Kashmir, is accused of making statements at the conferencesuggesting that the disputed Himalayan region is not an integral part ofIndia—a statement she asserts to be a truth.
In accordance with Indian laws, the prosecution of specific offenses,including hate speech, sedition, and promoting enmity, requires permissionfrom the state government. In this case, Vinai Kumar Saxena, thefederally-appointed lieutenant-governor (LG), has granted Delhi Police theauthority to prosecute both Arundhati Roy and Professor Sheikh ShowkatHussain from the Central University of Kashmir. The charges brought againstthem relate to promoting enmity, making assertions prejudicial to nationalintegration, and causing public mischief, according to the reports.
It’s worth noting that one of the professors and a hardline Kashmiri leadermentioned in the complaint have passed away in the intervening years.
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Curiously, the reports do not elucidate the reasons behind Saxena’sdecision to authorize the prosecution after such a substantial lapse oftime. Despite requests for comment, his office remained unresponsive tocalls and emails from Reuters.
Arundhati Roy, aged 61, secured the Booker Prize for fiction in 1997 and isrenowned for her role as a vocal political and human rights activist. Sheis a regular contributor to publications in both India and abroad. As ofnow, there has been no official response from her regarding thesedevelopments, and attempts to reach her for comment have been unsuccessful.