‘Modi govt has not learned from election results’: Asaduddin Owaisi

New Delhi: All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen president Asaduddin Owaisi on Saturday questioned the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) and said that he hoped that Modi 3.0 would learn something from the election results, but they poured cold water on my expectations.

“The UAPA law is in the news again today. This is an extremely ruthless law due to which thousands of Muslim, Dalit and tribal youth were imprisoned and their lives were ruined,” Owaisi posted on X.

He further alleged that the law became the reason for the death of 85-year-old Stan Swamy.

“This law was made even more stringent by the Congress government in 2008 and 2012, I had opposed it even then. In 2019, when the BJP again brought more stringent provisions and exemptions on it, the Congress supported the BJP. I had opposed this law even then,” he said.

The AIMIM Chief objected to the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Amendment Act Bill 2019 in Lok Sabha and blamed Congress for bringing the UAPA law.

“We hoped from Modi 3.0 that he would learn something from the election results but unhone umeed pr paani fer diya. This series of atrocities and excesses will continue,” he stated.

Earlier, the Delhi LG, VK Saxena, has sanctioned the prosecution of author Arundhati Roy and former Professor of international law at the Central University of Kashmir, Sheikh Showkat Hussain, in a case relating to their provocative speeches at a public function in 2010, an official statement by the LG office said.

The LG sanctioned the prosecution of Arundhati Roy and Sheikh Showkat Hussain under IPC section 45 (1) of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.

The FIR in the matter was registered on a complaint made by Sushil Pandit on October 28, 2010.

Roy and Hussain had allegedly made provocative speeches at a conference organised under the banner of “Azadi – The Only Way” on October 21, 2010 at LTG Auditorium, Copernicus Marg, New Delhi. The issues discussed and spoken about at the conference propagated the “separation of Kashmir from India”.

Those who delivered speeches at the conference included Syed Ali Shah Geelani, SAR Geelani (anchor of the Conference and prime accused in the Parliament attack case), Arundhati Roy, Dr. Sheikh Showkat Hussain and Maoist sympathiser Vara Vara Rao.

It was alleged that Geelani and Arundhati Roy strongly propagated that Kashmir was never part of India and was forcibly occupied by the Armed Forces of India and every possible effort should be made for the independence of the J-K from India and recordings of the same were provided by the complainant.

The complainant filed a complaint under Section 156(3) of CrPC before the MM Court, New Delhi, which disposed of the complaint vide order dated November 27, 2010, with the directions to register an FIR. Accordingly, an FIR was registered and an investigation was carried out.