Hate Speech (Syllabus: GS Paper 2 – Polity & Governance)

Context: Supreme Court says hate speech will be prosecuted equally, no matter the faith of the offender. Responding to a lawyer’s allegation that a Kerala rally featured a slogan calling for the death of Hindus, Justice Sanjiv Khanna makes it clear that hate speech from all sides will be treated equally

About Hate Speech

• Hate speech means talking, acting, writing, or showing things that could make people hurt each other or treat some groups badly.
• According to 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 Law Commission of India and TK Vishwanath Committee there is a need for insertion of new Section in IPC in from 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.