Friday, March 29, 2024

Take suo motu action without waiting for complaint: Supreme Court on hate speech

A Supreme Court bench on Friday directed the Governments of NCT of Delhi, Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh to file a report before the Court regarding the actions taken on the hate speech crimes which happened within their jurisdiction, LiveLaw reported.

The apex court directed that these Governments should take suo motu action against any hate speech crime, without waiting for any complaint.

“The action should be taken regardless of the religion of the speaker. Any hesitation to act as per the directions would be viewed as contempt of court, A bench comprising Justices KM Joseph and Hrishikesh Roy directed.

The bench was hearing a petition seeking urgent intervention to stop the “growing menace of targeting and terrorizing the Muslim Community in India”.

The bench said that the complaint of the petitioner relates to the “prevailing climate of hate in the country” and total inaction of the authorities.

“We feel the court is charged with the duty to protect the fundamental rights and also protect and preserve the constitutional values in particular the rule of law and the secular democratic character of the nation” the bench observed.

spot_img

Don't Miss

Related Articles