Nationalist Congress Party - Sharadchandra Pawar (NCP-SP) chief Sharad Pawar on Saturday criticized the central government over the Delhi LG's approval to prosecute writer Arundhati Roy under UAPA for a statement made in 2010.
Delhi Lieutenant Governor V.K. Saxena sanctioned the prosecution of novelist Arundhati Roy on Friday for allegedly making provocative statements at a 2010 event promoting Kashmiri separatism. This prosecution falls under Section 13 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967, according to Raj Niwas officials. The L-G had previously approved prosecution under various sections of the Indian Penal Code last year.
When questioned about the development, Sharad Pawar said, "To prosecute Arundhati Roy for a statement made in 2010 is a complete misuse of power."
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"Similarly, several other people were earlier sent to jail under flimsy charges. Some of them were granted bail by the courts. However, many others are still languishing in jail without trial," Pawar stated.
"This is a blatant misuse of power. After people took decisive action against such misuse of power in the Lok Sabha election, we had expected that the BJP would learn their lesson. But they don't seem to have learned it," he added.
Referring to the upcoming Assembly Elections in Maharashtra, Pawar said, "People will respond to this high-handedness by the government and give them a befitting answer."