Award-winning author Shashi Deshpande on Friday resigned from the Sahitya Akademi General Council expressing disappointment over the literary body's silence on the issue of Kannada writer M M Kalburgi.<br/><br/>In her letter to Akademi chairperson Vishwanath Prasad Tiwari, the 77-year-old author said she hoped that the Akademi will get involved with important issues that affect Indian writers' freedom to speak and write.<br/><br/>Deshpande, who won the Sahitya Akademi award for her novel "That Long Silence" in 1990 is the fourth writer renouncing their coveted prizes.<br/><br/>Hindi writer Uday Prakash returned his Sahitya Akademi award which was followed by Nayantara Sahgal and Ashok Vajpeyi .