The Union government is not planning to file sedition charges against Hurriyat leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani and writer Arundhati Roy who spoke in favour of ‘Azadi’ for Jammu and Kashmir at a seminar in New Delhi last week, according to some media reports.The reports, quoting highly placed Govt sources, said the Ministry of Home Affairs permission was not needed for the police to file a case of sedition but added that North Block did not believe charging or arresting Geelani and Roy made any sense. Meanwhile, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Tuesday demanded the arrest of separatist leader Syed Ali Geelani and writer-activistArundhati Roy, terming their remarks on Kashmir as "objectionable" and "an attack on the country's "integrity".
On BJP's allegations that government remained silent on the developments, Law Minister Veerappa Moily said, "Politics cannot be mixed with statements which border sedition."
Asked whether his ministry had received a request from the Home Ministry seeking its legal opinion on whether the two can be booked for sedition, the Law Minister said, "I was away for three days...I have not seen the file so far".
Roy, the Booker Prize winning author, had said "Kashmir has never been an integral part of India. It is a historical fact. Even the Indian government has accepted this."
At a convention in the capital on 'Azadi--The Only Way', Geelani shared the stage with Roy and pro-Maoist leader Vara Vara Rao among others. Geelani, who harped on independence for Kashmir, was heckled by a section of the audience with one of them throwing a shoe.
Stepping up its offensive, BJP demanded the arrests of Geelani and Roy on charges of sedition, saying anyone who speaks against the country should be hanged
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
0 comments:
Post a Comment