The Supreme Court on Friday said stringent action must be taken against those propagating hate speeches, regardless of their affiliations.
In a brief hearing overseen by Justices Sanjiv Khanna and SVN Bhatti, the court addressed a series of petitions, one of which sought measures to counter the spread of hate speeches across States.
This included a request for action against Hindu groups advocating the social and economic exclusion of Muslims in response to recent communal violence in Nuh-Gurugram within the Delhi-NCR region.
At this juncture, a lawyer presented evidence that the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML), a political party in Kerala, had organised a rally in July where slogans like “death to Hindus” were reportedly raised.
The court’s response was unequivocal, “We are unequivocally clear. Regardless of the side, they must be treated uniformly, and the law will follow its due course. Anyone engaging in what we recognise as hate speech will be dealt with in accordance with the law. This aligns with our already expressed standpoint.”
Due to time constraints, Justice Khanna stated that the bench wouldn’t further hear the matter that day, as there were already pending petitions challenging the Bihar caste survey. All matters concerning hate speech will be revisited next Friday, the court said.
Justice Khanna after reviewing the 2018 verdict in the Tehseen Poonawalla case and the court’s issued guidelines, expressed his hopes for strict adherence to these directives. He conveyed this to Additional Solicitor General KM Nataraj, who represented the Centre.
Advocate Nizam Pasha, appearing for petitioner Shaheen Abdullah, emphasised the desire for harmony devoid of divisions based on hate.
The lawyer, who claimed hate speeches were made against Hindus at the IUML rally, said Pasha had not placed correct facts before the court. The bench restrained him from speaking further.
The court then allowed the petitioners and respondents to file whatever documents, and written submissions they needed to file and posted all the petitions for hearing on August 25.
On August 11, observing that there has to be harmony and comity between communities, the top court had mooted a committee constituted by the Director General of Police (DGP) of Haryana to go into the cases registered in the wake of the recent communal riots in the State that claimed six lives.
The top court had made the observation while hearing a plea over alleged “blatant hate speeches” calling for killing members of a particular community and their social and economic boycott at rallies in different states, including Haryana. It had asked Nataraj to seek instructions and inform it about the proposed committee.
The top court had also directed Abdullah to collate all material, including videos, and submit to the nodal officers appointed in each state in pursuance of its October 21, 2022 judgment. In his petition, Abdullah has referred to the August 2 order of the apex court passed in the context of Nuh-Gurugram violence which said, “We hope and trust that the State Governments and police will ensure that no hate speeches irrespective of the identity are made against any community and there is no physical violence or damage to the properties.”
CPI(M) leader Brinda Karat has also moved the top court seeking to intervene in the plea filed by Abdullah.