Court seeks report on Geelani’s anti-India rant

New Delhi: A Delhi court on Nov.4, Wednesday asked the city police to file a report on a complaint seeking prosecution of hardline Hurriyat leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani and writer Arundhati Roy on the charges of sedition for their alleged anti-India statements.

"The Station House Officer of the concerned police station is directed to file a status report on November 16," Metropolitan Magistrate Navita Kumari Bagha said.

Earlier, Vikas Padora, counsel for complainant, Sushil Pandit, submitted that the prima facie case of sedition was made out against the accused as they had openly challenged the integrity and the authority of Government of India .

"Being a citizen of this country, the complainant is duly empowered by the Constitution to seek registration of an FIR against the accused persons for various offences against the nation," Padora argued.

The complaint, filed under section 156 (3)of CrPC, seeks either registration of an FIR or a direction to the police to file a report after probing their alleged anti-India statements at a seminar here.

It was alleged that as the government had miserably failed to initiate any action against the "culprits" of the anti-India seminar, a private complaint against them has been filed.

Besides Geelani and Roy, the complaint also seeks prosecution of five others, including Delhi University professor S A R Geelani, who was acquitted in Parliament attack case, and Sheikh Showkat Hussain, a professor of Jammu and Kashmir University.
Hurriyat leader Geelani had shared the dais with Roy and pro-Maoist leader Vara Vara Rao among others during the convention, 'Azadi-The Only Way.'