March 29, 2024 12:11 (IST)
Follow us:
facebook-white sharing button
twitter-white sharing button
instagram-white sharing button
youtube-white sharing button
PM Modi has mastered art of manipulating democracy, hurting Constitution: Mallikarjun Kharge | Mafia-turned-politician Mukhtar Ansari dies of cardiac arrest at 63 | NIA arrests key conspirator in Bengaluru cafe blast case | Actor Govinda returns to politics after 14 years of 'vanvas', joins Eknath Shinde camp | 'To browbeat and bully others is vintage Congress culture': PM posts after 600 lawyers write to CJI
'Role of anchor very important': Supreme Court on hate speech made on TV Supreme Court

'Role of anchor very important': Supreme Court on hate speech made on TV

India Blooms News Service | @indiablooms | 21 Sep 2022, 11:07 pm

New Delhi/IBNS: The Supreme Court Wednesday held the "role of anchor" as "very important" while coming down heavily on television channels over hate speech.

It also asked why the government is "remaining a mute spectator" on the same.

"These speeches on mainstream media or social media are unregulated. It's (the anchors') duty to see that hate speech doesn't continue the moment someone does. Freedom of press is important... Ours is not as free as US but we should know where to draw a line," Justice KM Joseph observed at the hearing of a batch of petitions filed since last year.

"Hate speech is layered... Like killing someone, you can do it in multiple ways, slowly or otherwise. They keep us hooked based on certain convictions," said the court, expanding on why hate speech interests viewers.

"Government should not take an adversarial stand but assist the court," the apex court observed, asking, "Is this a trivial issue?"

The matter will next be heard on Nov 23.

By this time, the court wants the central government to clarify if it intends to act on Law Commission recommendations on curbing hate speech.

Acting on a direction from the Supreme Court, the Law Commission submitted a report in 2017 recommending specific laws.

"Hate speech has not been defined in any law in India. However, legal provisions in certain legislations prohibit select forms of speech as an exception to freedom of speech," the commission noted. It shared a draft legislation as well, suggesting "insertion of new sections 153C (prohibiting incitement to hatred) and 505A (causing fear, alarm, or provocation of violence in certain cases)," it stated.
 

Support Our Journalism

We cannot do without you.. your contribution supports unbiased journalism

IBNS is not driven by any ism- not wokeism, not racism, not skewed secularism, not hyper right-wing or left liberal ideals, nor by any hardline religious beliefs or hyper nationalism. We want to serve you good old objective news, as they are. We do not judge or preach. We let people decide for themselves. We only try to present factual and well-sourced news.

Support objective journalism for a small contribution.
Related Images
PM Modi in Bhutan 22 Mar 2024, 06:53 pm
PM Modi in Tamil Nadu 28 Feb 2024, 07:07 pm