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Speaking to NDTV, Seth, who had won Sahitya Akademi award for his verse-nove 'The Golden Gate,' said  awards personally mean little to him but the response of the Sahitya Akademi has been "mealy mouthed". 

 

He said he admires those who had returned the honours and felt it required a lot of courage.

 

 Asked if he too would return his Sahitya Akademi award, Seth said that he was waiting to see what happens at the next meeting of the Akademi. "If the Akademi continues to remain passive on free speech and the protection of thinkers and writers, I too will give back the honor," Seth said.

More than 20  Sahitya Akademi award recipients have already returned their awards in protest against the incidents like Dadri lynching and murder of rationalist writer MM Kalburgi and the alleged silence maintained by the Sahitya Akademi over the rights and safety of writers.The protesting writers have also said the country's diversity has been under attack.