Petition against Arundhati, Geelani withdrawn

NEW DELHI - A petition seeking action against hardline Hurriyat leader Syed Ali Geelani, writer Arundhati Roy and four others for allegedly making anti-India speeches last year was withdrawn from the Delhi High Court Thursday after Delhi Police told the court that a police complaint has already been lodged.

“Now, the petition becomes infructuous,” Justice Mukta Gupta said, taking note of the police submission that a first information report (FIR) into the case has already been lodged and a probe was going on.

Following the court order, Salek Chand Jain, who had filed the plea through advocate Sugriva Dube, withdrew the plea for prosecution of the Hurriyat leader, Roy and others for their alleged anti-India speeches at the convention on “Azadi: The Only Way” here in October last year.

The high court earlier issued notices to the central government and Delhi Police seeking their responses to the plea and its maintainability.

Taking cognisance of a complaint by another petitioner, Sushil Pandit, a lower court earlier ordered police to register an FIR against Geelani, Roy and four others for sedition. Police were asked to file a status report Feb 25.

Besides Geelani and Roy, the four others whose prosecution was sought included Delhi University professor S.A.R. Geelani, who was acquitted in the parliament terrorist attack case, and Sheikh Showkat Hussain, a professor of Kashmir University.