HATE SPEECH (Syllabus: GS Paper 2 – Polity)

Context: The five-day special session of Parliament was historical, however, at the same time, one of the MPs was criticised for blasphemy and hate speech towards another MP.

Hate Speech

• About: Hate speech means talking, acting, writing, or showing things that could make people hurt each other or treat some groups badly.
• According to the Law Commission of India: It is usually when someone tries to make others hate a group of people based on things like their race, culture, gender, or religion.
• As recommended by the Law Commission of India and TK Vishwanath Committee: There is a need for the insertion of a new Section in IPC in the form of Section 153C to effectively deal with hate speech.
• According to the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB): In 2014, there were only 323 cases, but by 2020, it went up a lot to 1,804 cases.

Blasphemy

• It's like being really mean and disrespectful about a god, something special, or something that should be treated with care.
• In a society where people are free and can vote, discussions and disagreements shouldn't be restricted. 
• To balance between protecting beliefs and stopping hurtful speech, the best option is to have rules about blasphemy but not make it a crime.