SC agrees to hear plea seeking steps against hate speech

New Delhi, Nov 12 (IANS) The Supreme Court on Friday agreed to examine a plea seeking direction to the Central government to analyse various international laws and take "effective and stringent" steps against the menace of hate speech and rumour-mongering in the country.

A bench of justices A.M. Khanwilkar and C.T. Ravikumar scheduled the matter for hearing on November 22, along with a separate plea, which also came up for hearing during the day, in connection with the hate speech issue.

The bench has asked senior advocate Vikas Singh, representing advocate Ashwini Upadhyay, to serve the copy of the plea on the respondents -- Ministry of Home Affairs, Ministry of Law and Justice, and the Law Commission.

The plea sought a direction that courts, while awarding punishment for the offences against "public tranquillity, offences relating to elections etc", should give sentences running consecutively and not concurrently.

Upadhyay also sought a direction to the Centre to take legislative steps to implement recommendations of the law commission to deal with hate speech and rumour-mongering.

The plea said: "The petitioner is filing this writ petition as a PIL... seeking writ/order/direction to the Centre to examine the international laws relating to 'hate speech' and 'rumour mongering' and take apposite effective stringent steps to control 'hate speech' and 'rumour-mongering' in order to secure rule of law, freedom of speech and expression and Right to Life, Liberty and Dignity of citizens."