Karnataka Legislative Council passes hate speech bill amid opposition protest

Bengaluru, Dec 19 (PTI) Karnataka Legislative Council on Friday passed a bill to curb hate speech, amid strong protest from opposition BJP and JD(S), which called it "draconian", "direct attack on free speech" and "dangerous tool for political vendetta".

The Karnataka Hate Speech and Hate Crimes (Prevention) Bill, piloted by Home Minister G Parameshwara, was put to vote, amid protests from opposition members from the well of the House. The Bill was passed in the Legislative Assembly on Thursday, amid opposition from BJP and JD(S) members.

The opposition demanded that the Bill be withdrawn, alleging that the proposed legislation will lead to "police state", and "undeclared emergency", where even criticism can be considered as hate speech.

The minister said that the Bill proposes a jail term of one year, extendable up to seven with a fine of Rs 50,000 for a hate crime. For repeated offences, the maximum imprisonment will be seven years, with a fine of Rs 1 lakh. PTI KSU ADB