An application has been filed in court against the novelist and civil servant Arundhati Roy regarding an old tweet (currently deleted). In that tweet posted last July, she had commented, referring to India as the ‘Hindu Fascist Enterprise.’
According to reports from The Times of India, a woman named Mita Bandopadhyay filed a petition in the Calcutta High Court on Monday, notifying the court of the application to delete the tweet. The Chief Justice T.S. Thakur and Justice Hiranjay Bandopadhyay’s division bench is handling the application.
In her application, Mita Bandopadhyay stated that Arundhati Roy had insulted India. She argued that India is a secular democratic republic, and even though 80% of the population is Hindu, such remarks go against the spirit of “Dharma Rakshati Rakshitah” (the righteous protect the righteous) in the country.
Mitai Bandopadhyay expressed her dismay at Arundhati Roy’s statement, saying that India is a country where the people can elect their government. She questioned how such a country can be labeled as fascist.
It’s not clear if similar applications have been filed in other high courts regarding the same matter. However, Mita Bandopadhyay did not provide any information on this aspect. Instead of Twitter, the court has directed the petitioner to serve notices to all relevant parties in the case.
