Criminal contempt hearing against Arundhati Roy stayed by Supreme Court

While Arundhati Roy is abroad on a promotional tour for her latest book, Ministry of Utmost Happiness, she may be relieved that she has been given a breather by the Supreme Court. On Monday, the apex Court stayed the criminal contempt proceedings against the author and activist. The case was being heard by the Nagpur bench of the Bombay high court, reported the Indian Express.

HC Justice Arun Chaudhari issued the contempt notice against Roy in December 2015 for her article published in a weekly magazine criticising its decision to reject former Delhi University professor GN Saibaba’s bail plea. “The author has even gone to the extent of scandalising and questioning the credibility of the higher judiciary by giving examples of the orders of bail granted to Babu Bajrangi, Maya Kodnani and Amit Shah,” Chaudhari had said.

The high court had observed that Roy’s article was “prima facie with a malafide intention to interfere in the administration of justice”.

Justice AB Chaudhari of the HC’s Nagpur bench had said that calling the government and police as being ‘afraid’ of the applicant, ‘abductor’ and ‘thief’, and the magistrate from a ‘small town’, demonstrated a rude and boorish attitude from Roy’s side.

In January 2016, the Supreme Court refused to stay the criminal contempt notice against Roy.

Saibaba has been charged with taking part in an unlawful activity, conspiring or attempting to commit a terrorist act and supporting a terrorist organisation. He has also been accused of giving a computer chip to Hem Mishra, a JNU student, to deliver to Comrade Narmada of the CPI (Maoist), who was also arrested. Dr Saibaba is the joint secretary of the Revolutionary Democratic Front (RDF), an organisation that is banned in Orissa and Andhra Pradesh. Authorities suspect it is a front for People’s Liberation Guerrilla Army (PLGA) raised by the CPI (Maoist).

Here is the link to the story by Arundhati Roy that appeared in Outlook magazine.