No scope for hate crimes on basis of religion in secular country: SC
Feb 06, 2023
New Delhi [India], February 6 : The Supreme Court on Monday asserted that there is no scope for hate crime on basis of religion in a secular country such as India and stressed that it has to be rooted out.
A bench of justices KM Joseph and BV Nagarathna said that there is a growing consensus around hate speech.
"There cannot be any compromise on hate speech at all," said the bench, adding that it is only if the State acknowledges the problem of hate speech that a solution can be found.
It is the primary duty of the State to protect its citizens from any such hate crimes, the bench stressed while hearing a plea against hate crimes.
"When action is not taken against hate crimes then an atmosphere is fostered which is very dangerous and it has to be rooted out from our lives. There cannot be any compromise on hate speech at all," it observed.
The observation of the apex court came while hearing a plea of a Muslim man who has alleged that he was assaulted and abused in the name of religion on July 4, 2021, by a "screwdriver gang" of criminals as he had boarded a car to go to Aligarh from Noida.
The petitioner Kazeem Ahmad Sherwani alleged that the police has not bothered to register any complaint of hate crime.
"If a person comes to the police and says that I was wearing a cap and my beard was pulled and abused in the name of religion and still no complaint is registered, then it is a problem," the bench proclaimed.
Justice Joseph said that be in a minority or majority, certain rights are inherent in human beings.
"You are born into a family and raised in one. We have no choice in our religion, but we stand out as a nation. That's the beauty, the greatness of our nation. We have to understand this," said Justice Joseph.
The apex court asked the Uttar Pradesh government to file a detailed affidavit and posted the matter for further hearing on March 3.
