The Supreme Court on Thursday directed the Union Home Ministry to file a report within three weeks on whether states have complied with the court’s earlier decision to ban hate speech.
“As a first step, at least this information should be before us. Which states are active, which are not functioning at all, which have functioned partially…” the bench said.
A bench of Justice AM Khanwilkar, Justice AS Oka and Justice JB Pardiwala was hearing the petitions seeking the apex court’s intervention to check hate speech and spread of rumours.
Jamiat Ulama-e-Hind is one of the petitioners who sought court’s intervention to curb hate speech in the wake of remarks by some political leaders on the Prophet, which sparked widespread protests.
The court was referring to earlier decisions in which, it said, it had passed “preventive, corrective and remedial” measures to deal with such situations.
In a 2018 judgment in Tehseen Poonawalla v Union of India, the Supreme Court had condemned the “widespread incidence” of lynchings and mob violence in the country. It had issued several directions to the central and state governments to curb such violence, including bringing in a new law if necessary.
In the 2018 ruling Shakti Vahini v Union of India, in which the petitioners sought the court’s intervention in curbing honor killings, the top court ruled that by khap panchayats, or any other legislature, two consenting adults should be allowed to marry. Any attempt to withhold or prevent from is absolutely right. ‘illegal’.
“In the background of the nature of the issue involved and the general directions issued by this court… we request the Secretary, Home Department, Government of India to collect necessary information from the concerned States/UTs,” the court said.
News bulletin , Click to get the best interpreters of the day delivered to your inbox
The bench asked the home secretaries of the respective states and union territories to furnish necessary information within two weeks of the receipt of the letter from the union home secretary to ensure that the home secretary is in a position to compile the necessary information and present it before the court. Will be stated time.
It said the matter would come up for hearing after six weeks.
Additional Solicitor General KM Natraj, appearing for the Centre, said that they can collect information from different states and union territories on what happened there and what development has taken place to follow the directions of the top court.
The counsel, appearing for the Election Commission of India, told the bench that he has been included as a party to a petition asking the Center to examine international laws and take effective and stringent measures to control hate speech and rumours. direction has been sought. running in the country,
The bench asked the Election Commission not to consider the matter adverse and asked it to take action.
with PTI input