Contempt notice issued to Arundhati Roy over her remarks on Prof. Saibaba's arrest

The Bombay High Court on Wednesday issued a criminal contempt notice to author Arundhati Roy for her remarks on the arrest of Delhi University professor G N Saibaba last year for alleged links with Maoists, The Indian Express reported. 

Roy had written a piece about his arrest for Outlook in May this year. 

According to the court, it appeared that Roy believed she was "above the law", the report states. 

The HC also rejected Saibaba's bail plea and asked him to surrender before the police within 48 hours. The professor, who suffers from 90 percent physical disability, has been on bail since June, which was extended till December 31.

The Indian Express report further states, "Terming her language in the article as 'nasty', the judge wondered if one could relate it to the awards she has won. 'Calling the government and police as being 'afraid' of the applicant, 'abductor' and 'thief', and the magistrate from a 'small town', demonstrate the surly, rude and boorish attitude of the author in a most tolerant country like India,' Justice A B Chaudhari of the HC’s Nagpur bench observed. The article, which Justice Chaudhari said contained 'scurrilous' remarks against the police, the state machinery and the judiciary, has been reproduced in his judgment."

Justice A B Chaudhari added, "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."

Roy in the article, titled "Professor, P.O.W.", for Outlook had written, "So afraid is the government of this paralysed wheelchair-bound academic that the Maharashtra police had to abduct him for arrest".