Karnataka's Bold Step Against Hate Speech: New Bill Introduced

The Karnataka government introduced a bill in the state Assembly to address hate speech and crimes with penalties including jail terms and fines. Despite BJP opposition, the bill proposes stringent measures to prevent hate speech related to various biases, aiming to maintain peace in the state.

In a decisive move, the Karnataka government has introduced a bill in the state Assembly targeting hate speech, with proposed penalties including a jail term of up to 10 years and a fine. The legislation faced vocal opposition from BJP members during its tabling.

The Karnataka Hate Speech and Hate Crime (Prevention) Bill aims to curb expressions, whether spoken, written, or electronic, that intend to provoke disharmony or hatred. This includes biases based on religion, race, gender, and other factors. Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar stressed that the bill aligns with the government's agenda to sustain law and order.

The bill defines hate crime as promoting, inciting, or abetting hate speech. Such actions could result in minimum imprisonment of one year, escalating with repeated offences. The legislation empowers authorities to preemptively act against potential violators, exempting materials tied to genuine artistic, scientific, or religious expressions.

(With inputs from agencies.)