For remarks on Kashmir, author Arundhati Roy is scheduled to face trial under anti-terror legislation.
Due to her comments about Kashmir, author Arundhati Roy is being tried under anti-terror laws, which has sparked discussion about the right to free speech and the government's handling of dissent.
Swati Solomon 
In a case filed in 2010 over her remarks on Kashmir, Delhi Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena approved on Friday the prosecution of writer and campaigner Arundhati Roy under the strict anti-terror legislation known as the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA).
Additionally, permission has been granted to use the UAPA to prosecute Sheikh Showkat Hussain, a former professor of international law at the Central University of Kashmir.
The FIR against Roy and Hussain was registered following an order of a Metropolitan Magistrate court in New Delhi, based on a complaint made by Sushil Pandit, a social activist from Kashmir, on October 28, 2010, according to Raj Bhavan officials.
At a seminar titled "Azadi - The Only Way" that took place on October 21, 2010, at the LTG Auditorium, Copernicus Marg, New Delhi, Roy and Hussain were accused of making aggressive comments. The governor's administration stated that the topics covered and discussed at the conference promoted the idea of "separating Kashmir from India."
In addition to Roy and Hussain, the event was attended by Kashmiri separatist Syed Ali Shah Geelani, activist Varavara Rao, and former Delhi University lecturer SAR Geelani, who was found not guilty in the case of the Parliament attack. As the situation developed, all three passed away.
The complainant, Sushil Pandit, went to the Metropolitan Magistrate Court in New Delhi to ask that the police start an investigation. The court granted his request, and in November 2010, the police were directed to file a formal complaint.
The Indian Penal Code has several sections that carry penalties for acts that are detrimental to maintaining harmony. These sections include 153A (promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race, place of birth, residence, language, etc.), 153B (imputations, assertions prejudicial to national integration), and 505 (statements conducive to public mischief). In October 2023, the Raj Bhavan granted sanction to prosecute them under section 196 of the CrPC.
