SC directs Delhi, UP and Uttarakhand to take suo moto action against those spreading hate

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Friday ordered suo moto action against those indulging in hate speeches and observed that action against offenders should be taken without looking into which religion they belong to.

Expressing concern over the rising number of hate speeches in the country, the top court questioned, “Where have we reached in the name of religion?” A bench of Justices K M Joseph and Hrishikesh Roy observed that hate speeches are “disturbing” and should not be encouraged in a secular and democratic country.

“Where have we reached? What have we reduced religion to? It is tragic. And we speak of scientific temper,” the bench observed.

Issuing notices to the Delhi Police, and the police of Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand, the apex court asked the top brass to submit a report on what action has been taken against those indulging in hate speeches within their jurisdiction.

The top court also directed that state governments and police should take suo moto action in such cases of hate speeches without waiting for a formal complaint to be lodged. The court also insisted that action should be initiated swiftly irrespective of the religion of the culprit. Any violation of the court directive would lead to contempt of court and action against the officials who had violated the order, the court said.

The apex court was hearing a plea seeking its urgent intervention to stop the growing cases of harassment of members of the Muslim community in India. A number of political leaders, including lawmakers of the ruling BJP, have been accused of making hate speeches in several states and some of them are even facing cases over their speeches.

The plea filed by petitioner Shaheen Abdullah, a journalist, also sought direction to the Centre and states to initiate an independent, credible and impartial probe into the incidents of hate crimes and hate speeches across the country.

Senior advocate Kapil Sibal, appearing for Abdullah, referred to a recent incident of hate speech in Delhi. Sibal said the petitioner made several complaints but no action was taken.

In his petition, Abdullah also sought to invoke the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) and other stringent provisions to curb hate crimes and hate speeches. He alleged that the Muslim community is being “targeted and terrorised” by the participation of members of the ruling political party in delivering hate speeches.

“The spread of hate towards Muslims and other minorities gets accelerated and becomes all the more far-reaching in its impact as a result of the support, directly or indirectly, extended to radical miscreants, who engage in acts of hate crimes, physical violence as well as communally charged speeches by the ruling political party,” he said in the petition.

Read all the Latest News, Trending News, Cricket News, Bollywood News,
India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.