Renowned Indian author Arundhati Roy, who previously won the prestigious Booker Prize, is facing potential prosecution for a 2010 speech concerning Indian-administered Kashmir. The move comes following approval from VK Saxena, a top official in the administration governing New Delhi, according to media reports.
Arundhati Roy, aged 61, is a prominent literary figure in India, known for both her writing and activism. Her outspoken criticism of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government has made her a polarising figure within the country.
According to Al Jazeera, a criminal complaint, originally filed in 2010, accused Roy and others of sedition due to their speeches advocating the secession of Kashmir from India, a highly sensitive topic given the region’s disputed status.
The case had languished within India’s slow-moving criminal justice system for over a decade but has now gained new momentum. VK Saxena’s directive stated that there was sufficient evidence to proceed with the case against Arundhati Roy and Sheikh Showkat Hussain, a former professor of international law at the Central University of Kashmir, for their speeches at a public function.
This development has sparked discussions about freedom of speech and political prosecutions in India, further highlighting the tensions surrounding the issue of Kashmir, a region that has been a source of conflict between India and Pakistan for many decades.
