Some thought the BJP\u2019s reduced majority after recent elections would humble it. Tell that to the Booker prize-winning author<\/p>\n
This month, the highest ranking bureaucrat of the state of Delhi, Vinai Kumar Saxena, gave his permission for the Delhi police to prosecute<\/a> Arundhati Roy and Sheikh Showkat Hussain for remarks they made at a public event 14 years ago. The opposition Aam Aadmi party governs Delhi, but the capital\u2019s police reports to the central government\u2019s home ministry. While the prime minister, Narendra Modi, lost his parliamentary majority<\/a> in the recently concluded elections, the prosecution of Roy shows that those who expected a chastened government willing to operate differently are likely to be disappointed.<\/p>\n Hussain and Roy are to be tried for making speeches at a conference called Azadi [Urdu for \u201cfreedom\u201d]: The Only Way, which questioned Indian rule in the then state of Jammu and Kashmir. Hussain is a Kashmiri academic, author and human rights activist. Roy is among India\u2019s most celebrated authors, with a wide following around the world.<\/p>\n Salil Tripathi is a writer based in New York and is on the board of PEN International. His latest book, The Gujaratis, will be published this year<\/p>\n Do you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article? If you would like to submit a response of up to 300 words by email to be considered for publication in our letters<\/a> section, please click here<\/a>.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n