Hate Speech

Contempt plea against Delhi police closed, SC takes note chargesheet filing

The Supreme Court on Thursday closed activist Tushar Gandhi's contempt plea against the Delhi Police after taking note of submissions that a charge sheet in a case of hate speeches made at religious assemblies in the national capital in 2021 was filed in a court here. A bench comprising Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud and Justice J B Pardiwala considered the submissions of Additional Solicitor General K M Natraj, appearing for the Delhi Police, that the chrage sheet after conclusion of the investigation was filed in a court of the Metropolitan Magistrate here on April 4. In view of the filing of the charge sheet, it is not expedient in the interest of justice to continue with the present contempt petition, the bench said. Earlier, the Delhi Police had said the investigation into the case was at an advanced stage and a probe report will be filed shortly. The hate speech case is related to a Hindu Yuva Vahini event organised in Delhi under the leadership of Suresh Chavhanke, the editor

Karnataka Minister Munirathna booked for hate speech against Christians

Karnataka Minister Munirathna has been booked by the police for his alleged hate speech against Christians. A case was registered against the Minister on a complaint by a gazetted officer who charged him with promoting enmity among people. In an interview to a private news channel on March 31, Munirathna, Horticulture Minister in the Basavaraj Bommai government, had purportedly said, "Christians are converting people in this moment also. Conversion is maximum in the slums. In places where 1,400 people are there, 400 have been converted. If they come (for conversion) then kick them out or give complaint at the police station." The Rajarajeshwarinagar police booked the BJP MLA from RR Nagar under Section 117 (abetting Commission of offence), 153A (promoting enmity between various groups or religion) of the Indian Penal Code and 125 of People's Representation Act (Promoting enmity between classes in connection with election).

For some politics is based on hate, says Kapil Sibal over SC observations

A day after the Supreme Court observed that hate speeches will end when politicians stop using religion in politics, Rajya Sabha MP Kapil Sibal on Thursday said it was like "asking for the moon" as for some people politics is based on hate. The Supreme Court on Wednesday took serious exception to hate speeches, saying these will end the moment politics and religions are separated and politicians stop using religion in politics. Sibal said on Twitter, "Supreme Court: Hate speech will stop 'the moment politics and religion are segregated'. Asking for the moon!" "Remember: 1) Advaniji's Rath Yatra 2) RSS chiefs shamshan-kabristan comments (2018) 3) Goli Maro(2020) speech etc. For some politics is based on hate!" the former law minister and noted advocate said. A bench of justices KM Joseph and BV Nagarathna referred to speeches of former prime ministers Jawaharlal Nehru and Atal Bihari Vajpayee, saying people from remote areas and every nook and corner used to gather to hear ...

SC asks Delhi Police to file charge sheet in 2021 hate speeches case

The Supreme Court on Monday took note of the submission of the Delhi Police that the probe in a case of hate speeches made at religious assemblies in the national capital in 2021 was at an advanced stage, and asked them to place on record the charge sheet to be filed in the matter. A bench headed by Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud was told by Additional Solicitor General K M Nataraj, appearing for the Delhi Police, that they were expecting a Forensic Science Laboratory report on voice samples of accused. The law officer said the probe agency will be filing a charge sheet in the matter shortly. The additional solicitor general submitted that the investigation is now at an advanced stage. The report of the voice sample is expected soon from the forensic lab. A copy of the charge sheet be placed on records. The matter in the first week of April, the bench said in its order. Earlier on January 30, the city police had told the top court that the 2021 hate speeches matter was "substantiall

Nobody taking action against hate speeches despite our orders, laments SC

The Supreme Court on Thursday lamented that nobody was taking action against hate speeches despite its orders, and observed that the top court will be left "embarrassed again and again" if it is asked to give further directions to curb such statements. The court's strong observations were made by a bench comprising Justice K M Joseph, Justice Aniruddha Bose and Justice Hrishikesh Roy when a plea seeking to prohibit an event scheduled to be held on February 5 by the Hindu Jan Akrosh Morcha in Mumbai was mentioned for an urgent hearing. The bench agreed to hear the plea on Friday subject to instructions and approval from Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud on the administrative side. "We are with you on this, but understand that the Supreme Court cannot be triggered every time there is a rally notified. We have already passed an order which is clear enough. Just imagine rallies happening all across the country. Every time there will be an application before the Supreme Court. How can that b

SC to hear plea against 'hate speech' event scheduled on Feb 5 in Mumbai

The Supreme Court on Thursday agreed to hear a plea seeking to prohibit an alleged hate speech event scheduled to be held on February 5 in Mumbai. A bench of Justice K M Joseph, Justice Aniruddha Bose and Justice Hrishikesh Roy said it will seek instructions from Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud and subject to his approval post the matter for hearing on Friday. "We are with you on this, but understand that the Supreme Court cannot be triggered every time there is a rally notified. We have already passed an order which is clear enough. Just imagine rallies happening all across the country. Every time there will be an application before the Supreme Court. How can that be feasible? "You ask us to be embarrassed again and again by getting an order. We have passed so many orders yet nobody is taking action. The Supreme Court should not be asked to pass an order on an event to event basis," the bench observed. The observation came after a lawyer mentioned the matter, saying the issue needs

'Final report almost ready', Delhi Police to SC in hate speech case

A bench headed by Chief Justice of India D.Y. Chandrachud and comprising Justices P.S. Narasimha and J.B. Pardiwala gave three weeks' time to the police to inform it about the preventive steps taken

SC takes note of 'no palpable progress' in probes on Hate speeches

A bench comprising Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud and Justice P S Narasimha said there was no palpable progress made in the investigation

Ex-bureaucrats demand action on alleged hate speech by Pragya Thakur

The letter referred to media reports that, on December 25, 2022, while addressing a gathering of the Hindu Jagarana Vedike's South Region annual convention in Shivamogga, Karnataka

Five essential reads on consequences of Musk's takeover of Twitter in 2022

The microblogging platform has seen a rise in hate speech and technical problems as media reports say up to 75% of the staff has been cut since he took over

Have no personal feelings about who manages Twitter: UN chief Guterres

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres has said he has no personal feelings about who manages Twitter, but he is very interested in how the platform is managed, underlining the importance of combating hate speech and ensuring freedom of expression, especially of journalists, on social media platforms. I have no personal feelings in relation to who manages a platform. I am very interested in about how the platform is managed, he said here on Monday. Guterres was responding to a question during his end of the year press conference on whether he thinks Twitter's owner Elon Musk was a threat to free speech and would he be relieved if the billionaire stepped down as head of the social media platform. Twitter users had voted on Monday for Musk to quit as head of the social media giant in a poll the technology tycoon ran on his future and promised to abide by its results. A total of 57.5 per cent of people voted "yes" after the 51-year-old billionaire asked his 122 million followers whethe

Washington: Anti-LGBTQ hate thrives online, spurs fears of more violence

In the days after a gunman killed five people at a gay nightclub in Colorado last month, much of social media lit up with the now familiar expressions of grief, mourning and disbelief. But on some online message boards and platforms, the tone was celebratory. I love waking up to great news, wrote one user on Gab, a platform popular with far-right groups. Other users on the site called for more violence. The hate isn't limited to fringe sites. On Twitter, YouTube and Facebook, researchers and LGBTQ advocates have tracked an increase in hate speech and threats of violence directed at LGBTQ people, groups and events, with much of it directed at transgender people. The content comes after conservative lawmakers in several states introduced dozens of anti-LGBTQ legislation and amid a wave of threats targeting LGBTQ groups, as well as hospitals, health care workers, libraries and private businesses that support them. I don't think people understand the sate of danger that we're living i

Meta faces new lawsuit, accused of amplifying hate speech in Africa

Meta Platforms is facing a lawsuit in Kenya's high court accusing the company of failing Africans by amplifying hate speech and incitement to violence on Facebook

Hate speech soars on Twitter under Elon Musk, he says 'utterly false'

A report claimed that an average of 1,282 tweets with slurs against Black people appeared daily on Twitter before Musk took over and that number jumped to 3,876 after he acquired the company

EU warns Elon Musk to beef up Twitter controls ahead of new rules

A top European Union official warned Elon Musk on Wednesday that Twitter needs to beef up measures to protect users from hate speech, misinformation and other harmful content to avoid violating new rules that threaten tech giants with big fines or even a ban in the 27-nation bloc. Thierry Breton, the EU's commissioner for digital policy, told the billionaire Tesla CEO that the social media platform will have to significantly increase efforts to comply with the new rules, known as the Digital Services Act, set to take effect next year. The two held a video call to discuss Twitter's preparedness for the law, which will require tech companies to better police their platforms for material that, for instance, promotes terrorism, child sexual abuse, hate speech and commercial scams. It's part of a new digital rulebook that has made Europe the global leader in the push to rein in the power of social media companies, potentially setting up a clash with Musk's vision for a more unfettered ...

SP's Azam Khan disqualified as member of UP Assembly after hate speech case

The Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly secretariat on Friday announced the disqualification of Samajwadi Party leader Azam Khan from the House, a day after a court sentenced him to three years in jail in a hate speech case. Principal Secretary of the UP Legislative Assembly Pradeep Dubey told PTI that the Assembly Secretariat declared the Rampur Sadar Assembly seat as vacant. "A vacancy has been declared by the UP Vidhan Sabha Secretariat consequent upon the disqualification due to the judgment passed by the court," he said. The Rampur MP-MLA court had on Thursday convicted Khan in a 2019 hate speech case and had sentenced him to three years of imprisonment. The Representation of the People Act says that anyone sentenced to imprisonment of two years or more shall be disqualified "from the date of such conviction" and remain disqualified for another six years after serving time in jail.

SP's Azam Khan might lose MLA seat after getting three-year sentence

SP leader Azam Khan, who has been sentenced to three years in prison in a 2019 hate speech case, might lose his MLA seat if his eventual imprisonment term is longer than two years

SP MLA Azam Khan gets 3-yr jail term in hate speech case, granted bail

The court also imposed a fine of Rs 6,000 on the Rampur MLA

Take suo motu action against hate speeches, register cases immediately: SC

Calling hate speeches a "very serious issue", the Supreme Court Friday directed Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand governments to promptly register criminal cases against the culprits without waiting for a complaint to be filed. It warned any delay on the part of the administration will invite the court's contempt. A bench of Justices K M Joseph and Hrishikesh Roy also issued notices to the two state governments on a petition filed by a man named Shaheen Abdullah. It said action should be taken against those making hate speeches irrespective of their religion to preserve the secular fabric of the nation.

Allahabad HC reserves order on plea against UP CM for Alwar speech in 2018

The Allahabad High Court has reserved its judgment on a petition seeking direction from the court for registering a complaint against Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath