’Blatant hate speeches’: Supreme Court directs Centre to tackle ’problem’ in the wake of Nuh communal riots

The Supreme Court of India on Friday rapped the Indian government and asked the latter to form a committee to look into hate speeches all across the country. This comes at a time when Haryana's Nuh district has witnessed communal riots that claimed six lives. 

Further, another jarring incident also took place on a Mumbai-Jaipur train where a Railway Protection Force constable Chetan Singh shot three Muslim passengers after shooting his Hindu senior, in what has been stated as hate crime. 

The Supreme Court was 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.

A bench of Justices Sanjiv Khanna and SVN Bhatti asked Additional Solicitor General K M Nataraj, appearing for the Centre, to seek instructions and inform it about the proposed committee by 18 August.

Observing that there has to be harmony and comity between communities, the Supreme Court on Friday mooted a committee constituted by the Director General of Police (DGP) of Haryana to go into the cases registered in Haryana after the communal riots in Nuh. 

"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.

The top court also directed journalist Shaheen Abdullah, who is the petitioner in the case, to collate all material, including videos, and submit to the nodal officers appointed in each state in pursuance of its October 21, 2022 judgement.

During the hearing, Nataraj submitted the Union of India is also against hate speeches which must be checked totally. He acknowledged the mechanism to tackle hate speeches is not working in some places.

Observing that hate speeches vitiate the atmosphere, the top court had said wherever required, adequate police force or paramilitary force would be deployed and the authorities, including police, will use CCTV cameras installed or record/make video recording in all sensitive areas.

The application said despite the apex court's order, over 27 rallies were organised in various states in the aftermath of the communal clashes in Haryana's Nuh and hate speeches were made.

"In a video that surfaced on social media on August 2, 2023 a procession by the 'Samhast Hindu Samaj' can be seen walking through a neighbourhood in Hisar, Haryana in the presence of police officials issuing warnings to residents/shopkeepers that if they continue to employ/keep any Muslims after 2 days then their shops will be boycotted," it said.

The petitioner has sought directions to the Commissioner of Police, Delhi and Director General of Police of Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh and Haryana and other authorities to take adequate action and ensure such rallies are not allowed.

The top court had passed the August 2 order after senior advocate C U Singh, appearing for Abdullah, said 23 demonstrations were announced by Hindu Right groups Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) and Bajrang Dal in various parts of the National Capital Region (NCR) over Haryana clashes.

Six people, including two home guards and a cleric, were killed in the communal clashes that first erupted in Nuh when a Vishva Hindu Parishad procession was attacked by mobs. The communal clashes later spread to Gurugram and some other places close to the national capital.

(With PTI inputs)