New Delhi, March 29.
The Supreme Court on Wednesday slammed state inaction in dealing with hate speeches in the country and demanded to know the point of having a state if it was “impotent”.
The central government has washed its hands off this problem, insisting that law and order was a state problem.
“This is going on because the state is impotent, powerless and doesn’t act on time. Why do we have the state at all if the state is silent,” a bench led by Justice K.M. Joseph observed.
Justice B.V. Nagarathna, who was also part of the bench, said that hate speech was a vicious cycle as it sparked off violent action and reaction.
“There are cracks in the idea of fraternity. There must be restraint on every citizen… not to vilify other members of the country,” she said.
“Unfortunately, politicians make use of religion,” Justice Joseph remarked.
The bench has in an earlier case mandated all state governments to appoint nodal officers to nip hate related offences in the bud. But the problem has since escalated.
Dealing with some petitions from Maharashtra which sought court intervention to check hate speeches against the minorities in the state, the bench lamented the fall in the level of political discourse in the country from Nehru, Atal times to now.
“Where are we heading? There were orators like Nehru and Vajpayee. Now fringe elements from sll sides are making these statements,” Justice Nagarathna said.
Justice Joseph also slammed remarks such as “Go to Pakistan”. This is denigrating and against the dignity of an individual, he said.
The hearing which was on hate speeches being made in Maharashtra took a different tangent when Solicitor general Tushar Mehta urged the court to deal with hate speeches against Hindus made in Kerala and against brahmins in Tamil Nadu.
The bench eventually sought a response from Maharashtra and adjourned the case for a further hearing on April 28.
