Those In Power Must Act Responsibly: The Delhi High Court issued strong remarks on the subject of hate speech, especially by political leaders

Those In Power Must Act Responsibly

The Delhi High Court reject the plea of CPM’s leader Brinda Karat to allow a police case against BJP MPs Anurag Thakur and Parvesh Verma today over alleged hate speech delivered in 2020 during protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act. The court upheld the order of the trial court, which had reject a similar appeal last year on the ground that there was no mandatory sanction from the central government.

Those In Power Must Act Responsibly: The High Court, however, issued strong remarks on the subject of hate speech, especially by political leaders.

Expressing concern, Justice Chandra Dhari Singh said, “Hate speech is given by elected representatives, political and religious leaders especially on the basis of religion, caste, region or ethnicity is against the concept of brotherhood”.

He said, such people, “bulldoze the constitutional ethos” and violates the equality and liberty granted under the Constitution.

Further he added “This is a gross insult to the fundamental duties prescribed under the Constitution. Therefore, there is a need for strict action from the central and state governments,”

Those In Power Must Act Responsibly: Calling hate speech the “starting point of attacks” — ranging from discrimination to exclusion, deportation, and, even genocide – “against a targeted community” the court said it is “not suitable for leaders to engage in such acts or speeches”.

“In a democracy like India, the elected leaders carry their accountability not only towards the voters in their constituency, but also towards the society and nation as a whole and finally to the Constitution,” the court said.

Giving the example of migration of Kashmiri Pandits from the Kashmir Valley, the court said hate speech is not especially limited to any religion or community.  

Those In Power Must Act Responsibly

The judge also explain the executive and the civil society to help clog the “menace of hate speech”.

“There is a need for functional control of “hate speech” at all levels and all law enforcing agencies must assure that the existing law is not made a dead letter,” the court said.

In their petition before the trial court, Brinda Karat and KM Tiwari had said Anurag Thakur and Parvesh Varma “had sought to incite people, as a result of which three incidents of firing took place at two different protest sites in Delhi”.

On Januray 27, 2020, at a rally in Delhi’s Rithala, Anurag Thakur had lashed out at the anti-CAA protesters and lead the crowd to raise the “Shoot the traitors” slogan, the petitioners had claimed. They also contended that on January 28, 2020, Parvesh Verma made provoking comments against the anti-CAA protesters in Shaheen Bagh.

“Those In Power Must Act Responsibly”: Delhi High Court On Hate Speech

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