The government is expected to seek the law ministry’s view on registering a case of sedition against hardline Kashmiri separatist leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani and activist Arundhati Roy for their speeches last week. The Home Ministry had earlier referred their speeches —made at a convention on ‘Azadi – The Only Way’ in Delhi — to the police for appropriate legal action last week. The ministry move was made public after the BJP leader Arun Jaitley accused the government of “looking the other way”.

A preliminary legal opinion sought by Delhi Police had indicated the police could book the two for sedition; spreading disaffection against the State.

A government source said the Centre was likely to refer this assessment to the law ministry. Geelani had shared the stage with writer Roy and pro-Maoist leader Vara Vara Rao where they had made seditious comments.

“After the law ministry’s opinion, the government will take the political call,” the source said, suggesting this decision may have to wait for Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s return.

An unfazed Geelani said in Kashmir that there were already 90 cases have been registered against him. “I have 90 FIRs registered against me already, this will be 91st,” he said.