Not inclined to monitor all hate speech incidents: SC

The Supreme Court said on Tuesday made it clear that it was not inclined to either legislate or monitor every incident of hate speech across the country as legislative measures, police stations and high courts were already in place.

A Bench led by Vikram Nath made the remarks while hearing an application raising the issue of alleged calls for the social and economic boycott of a particular community.

“We are not legislating in the garb of this petition. Rest assured, we are not inclined to either legislate or monitor every small incident which takes place in X, Y, Z pocket of this country. There are high courts, there are police stations and there are legislative measures. They are already in place,” it said.

Court raps UP Govt

The Supreme Court came down heavily on the Uttar Pradesh Government for retaining the “colonial-era mindset” in governing cooperative societies and similar bodies where the spouses of bureaucrats like district magistrates are made ex-officio office-bearers.

A Bench led by CJI Surya Kant asked the state government to take steps in amending relevant provisions within two months. It said the byelaws of several societies in Uttar Pradesh continued to confer positions on the wives of top officials like district magistrates and chief secretaries.

‘Don’t divide society’

“Whatever we do, we should not divide the society on caste lines,” a Bench led by CJI Surya Kant said while hearing a petition relating to reservation in the Maharashtra local body elections.

It said the final results of elections in Maharashtra for 57 local bodies, where 50 per cent ceiling on quota had been breached, would depend on its judgment in the case and deferred the hearing to November 28.