Hate Speech: 28 States, UT appointed nodal officers, Centre to SC

The central government has informed the Supreme Court that 28 States and Union Territories have appointed nodal officers in compliance with its guidelines to prevent mob violence and lynching following hate speech incidents.

The Ministry of Home Affairs has filed a status report on a batch of petitions seeking directions to prevent/curb hate speech.

Centre in its status report told the apex court that the States which informed that they have appointed nodal officers are -- Andhra Pradesh, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Chhattisgarh, Delhi, Goa, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Jharkhand, Karnataka, UT of Ladakh, Lakshadweep, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Odisha, Puducherry, Punjab, Rajasthan, Sikkim, Telangana, Tripura, Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh.

The top court has been hearing a batch of pleas seeking steps to be taken against hate speech incidents.

By it's August 25, 2023 order the top court while hearing petitions seeking measures to curb hate crimes, had sought responses from the State government on the status of their compliance with the 2018 guidelines requiring the establishment of district-level nodal officers by the States.

The Supreme Court in 2018, had issued a slew of guidelines for the Centre and State governments to control and prevent the increasing number of hate crimes, including mob violence and lynching.

The guidelines included fast-tracked trials, victim compensation, deterrent punishment and disciplinary action against lax law-enforcing officials. The top court had said offences such as hate crimes, cow vigilantism and lynching incidents should be nipped in the bud.

It had said nodal officers were to be appointed to take note of hate crimes and register FIRs across the nation.