Supreme Court: Act against hate speeches without waiting for complaint.
Observing that the “there cannot be fraternity unless different religious communities are available to live in harmony”, the Supreme Court on Friday issued a set of interim directions in a plea to curb hate speeches in the country.
A bench comprising Justices KM Joseph and Hrishikesh Roy directed the Governments of NCT of Delhi, Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh to file a report before the Court regarding the actions taken on the hate speech crimes which happened within their jurisdiction.Importantly, the courts have ordered these governments to take legal action against hate speech crimes without waiting for charges. The case should be registered as a petition and the perpetrators should be prosecuted according to the law. Action should be taken regardless of the religion of the speaker. Any reluctance to act on the instructions would be considered contempt of court, the court warned.
A bench comprising Justices KM Joseph and Hrishikesh Roy was hearing a petition seeking urgent intervention to stop the “growing menace of targeting and terrorizing the Muslim Community in India”.
Noting that the complaint raised that the authorities are not taking action against hate crimes was serious, the bench issued notice on the petition. The bench said that the complaint of the petitioner relates to the “prevailing climate of hate in the country” and total inaction of the authorities.
“The Constitution of India envisages Bharat as a secular nation and fraternity, assuring the dignity of the individual and the unity and integrity of the country are guiding principles enshrined in the Preamble. There cannot be fraternity unless members of the community drawn from different religions or castes are able to live in harmony”, the bench observed in the order.
