Hate speeches need to be stopped: Supreme Court

New Delhi, October 10

Amid growing concern over hate speeches by politicians and religious leaders, the Supreme Court on Monday said such speeches needed to be stopped as they vitiated the country’s atmosphere.

“You are correct that the entire atmosphere is getting sullied by these hate speeches… it needs to be stopped,” a Bench led by Chief Justice of India UU Lalit told petitioner Harpreet Mansukhani after she alleged that a hate speech was delivered on making India a Hindu ‘rashtra’ before the next Lok Sabha poll.

“Hate speech has been turned into a profitable business. A party funded ‘Kashmir Files’… I have proof of how it was funded and then made tax-free,” Mansukhani told the Bench. The CJI said normal criminal proceedings had to be undertaken in these cases. “For a court to take cognizance, we need to have a factual background… We need some samples of cases. Otherwise it’s a random petition,” the Bench said.

The Bench asked the petitioner to file an affidavit about specific instances of hate speech and if cases were registered in such cases. It posted the matter for further hearing on October 31. Another Bench led by Justice Dinesh Maheshwari gave three weeks to activist Shachi Nelli seeking contempt action against Yati Narsinghanand to produce the transcripts of his interview in which he allegedly made derogatory remarks against the top court. Narsinghanand is facing criminal cases in connection with hate speeches delivered at the Haridwar Dharm Sansad. The then Attorney General KK Venugopal had in January 2022 given sanction to initiate contempt action against Narsinghanand for his derogatory comments against the SC.