Legal
The Supreme Court of India
The Supreme Court said Friday (18 August) that instances of hate speech would be prosecuted without bias based on the faith of the offender.
This was said by a bench led by Justice Sanjiv Khanna in response to a lawyer's allegation about a rally held in Kerala in July, where one of the slogans chanted was "death to the Hindus."
"We have made it very clear, hate speech will be treated equally, no matter which side is doing it," Justice Khanna said.
Advocate Nizam Pasha intervened to say that "hate has no sides."
This exchange took place during the hearing of a series of petitions regarding the increase in hate speech incidents.
The Supreme Court said in October last year that it was “tragic what we have reduced religion to” in the 21st century, remarking that a "climate of hate prevails in the country."
The top court directed the police and authorities to take immediate action against hate speech makers and offenders of communal violence, without waiting for a formal complaint to be filed.
Support Swarajya's 50 Ground Reports Project & Sponsor A Story
Every general election Swarajya does a 50 ground reports project.
Aimed only at serious readers and those who appreciate the nuances of political undercurrents, the project provides a sense of India's electoral landscape. As you know, these reports are produced after considerable investment of travel, time and effort on the ground.
This time too we've kicked off the project in style and have covered over 30 constituencies already. If you're someone who appreciates such work and have enjoyed our coverage please consider sponsoring a ground report for just Rs 2999 to Rs 19,999 - it goes a long way in helping us produce more quality reportage.
You can also back this project by becoming a subscriber for as little as Rs 999 - so do click on this links and choose a plan that suits you and back us.
Click below to contribute.
Latest