{"id":32241,"date":"2024-11-16T19:03:55","date_gmt":"2024-11-16T13:33:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/?p=32241"},"modified":"2024-11-16T19:03:57","modified_gmt":"2024-11-16T13:33:57","slug":"combating-hate-speech","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/16-11-2024\/combating-hate-speech","title":{"rendered":"Combating Hate speech"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>Syllabus: GS 2\/ Governance&nbsp;<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>In News\u00a0<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The Supreme Court, led by Chief Justice Sanjiv Khanna, stated that <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/14-01-2023\/issue-of-hate-speech#:~:text=Section%20153A%3A%20It%20deals%20with,prejudicial%20to%20maintenance%20of%20harmony.\">hate speech<\/a> is distinct from false claims or wrong assertions.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Hate Speech<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>There is no specific legal definition of \u2018hate speech\u2019<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>But it refers to speeches, writings, actions, signs, or representations that incite violence or spread disharmony between groups.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Defined by the <strong>Law Commission (267th Report<\/strong>) as incitement to hatred against groups based on race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, religion, etc.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Intends to cause fear, alarm, or violence, limiting free speech to prevent hate or harm.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Effects of hate speech\u00a0<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Multidimensional issue: <\/strong>Hate speech is a multidimensional issue with severe consequences for human rights, societal cohesion, and democracy.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Historically used to incite violence, hate crimes, wars, and genocide.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Effects on Individuals and Society:<\/strong> Directly harms the dignity and rights of those targeted and their communities.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Excludes victims from society, silences them, and disrupts public debate.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Fuels societal divisions<\/strong>, undermines inclusion, and threatens democratic principles.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>It undermines social cohesion and erodes shared values, setting back peace, stability, sustainable development and the fulfillment of human rights for all.\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Challenges in Addressing Hate Speech:<\/strong>\u00a0<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The rise of online hate speech and disinformation, <strong>fueled by digital tools<\/strong>, poses significant societal challenges as governments struggle to enforce laws at the scale and speed of the internet.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Low cost, ease of production,<\/strong> and anonymity enable widespread dissemination.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>It can reach global audiences in real time and resurface over time, regaining influence.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Difficulty in monitoring diverse<\/strong> platforms and communities.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Internet companies face pressure to moderate and remove harmful content.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Provisions in Indian Law<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Section 153A, IPC:<\/strong> Criminalises promotion of enmity between groups based on religion, race, place of birth, language, etc.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Punishment<\/strong>: Up to 3 years&#8217; imprisonment.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Up to 5 years if committed in places of worship or during religious ceremonies.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Section 505, IPC: <\/strong>Penalises public statements promoting enmity, hatred, or ill-will:\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>505(1): Statements causing mutiny, public alarm, or offences against public tranquillity.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>505(2): Statements promoting hatred between communities.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>505(3): Enhanced punishment (up to 5 years) if the offence occurs in places of worship or religious assemblies.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Punishment: Up to 3 years&#8217; imprisonment.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Proposals by the Law Commission<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Add specific provisions to the IPC for hate speech, separate from existing sections.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Proposed Sections:\u00a0<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Section 153C: <\/strong>Criminalises gravely threatening words, signs, or visible representations causing fear, alarm, or incitement to violence based on religion, caste, gender, etc.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Punishment: Up to 2 years&#8217; imprisonment, a \u20b95,000 fine, or both.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Section 505A: <\/strong>Penalises words or signs causing fear or provoking violence against individuals or groups.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Punishment: Up to 1 year&#8217;s imprisonment, a \u20b95,000 fine, or both.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Other Recommendations<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>M.P. Bezbaruah Committee:<\/strong> Proposed adding provisions to punish racial discrimination and hate speech.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>T.K. Viswanathan Committee<\/strong>: Recommended similar changes.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Committee for Reforms in Criminal Laws<\/strong>: Currently examining comprehensive reforms to criminal law, including provisions for hate speech<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Supreme Courts Observations\u00a0<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>In October 2022, the court lamented the \u201cclimate of hate\u201d in the country, directing authorities to register cases against hate speech offenders suo motu.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>In 2018, the court condemned hate crimes and emphasized the state&#8217;s &#8220;sacrosanct duty&#8221; to protect citizens.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Tehseen Poonawala Judgment: The judgment provided guidelines to states and police for preventing, controlling, and deterring mob violence and lynchings.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Conclusion and Way Forward<\/strong>\u00a0<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Effective and sustainable measures are necessary to combat and prevent hate speech.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The goal is to avoid dangerous escalation and build inclusive societies<strong>.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Source : TH&nbsp;<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Supreme Court, led by Chief Justice Sanjiv Khanna, stated that hate speech is distinct from false claims or wrong assertions.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-32241","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-current-affairs"],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32241","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=32241"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32241\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":32242,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32241\/revisions\/32242"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=32241"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=32241"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=32241"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}