'Hate speech unacceptable': Supreme Court wants Nuh probe panel

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, August 11

Maintaining that there has to be harmony between communities, the Supreme Court on Friday hinted at setting up a committee to look into cases relating to the recent communal riots in Haryana that claimed seven lives.

“We can ask the DGP to constitute a committee of three or four officers nominated by him who will receive and peruse all materials from station house officers and take a call if the material is authentic and issue appropriate directions to the police officer concerned. At SHO level and police level, the police need to be sensitised,” a Bench led by Justice Sanjiv Khanna said. While hearing a plea over alleged “blatant hate speeches” calling for killing members of a particular community and their social and economic boycott at rallies in different states, including Haryana, the Bench asked Additional Solicitor General KM Nataraj to seek instructions on the proposed committee by August 18, the next date of hearing.

“There has to be some harmony and comity between the communities and all the communities are responsible. I do not know if this has been exaggerated, but the problem of hate speech is not good and nobody can accept it,” it said. It asked petitioner Shaheen Abdullah to collate all material, including videos, and submit to the nodal officers appointed in each state in pursuance of its earlier judgment. Nataraj said the Centre was against hate speeches, which must be checked totally. He, however, admitted that the mechanism to deal with hate speeches wasn’t working in some places.

On behalf of the petitioner, senior counsel Kapil Sibal said people needed to be protected against hate speeches and “this kind of vitriol cannot go on”.

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