The Congress government on Thursday, December 18, passed the Karnataka Hate Speech and Hate Crimes (Prevention) Bill, 2025, in the Legislative Assembly in Belagavi amid raucous protests by the Opposition.
The Bill proposes punishment of up to seven years and Rs 50,000 fine for hate crimes and extended punishment and Rs 1 lakh fine for repeat offences.
Leader of the Opposition R Ashok tore a copy of the bill, while the opposition legislators protested in the well of the House.
The Bill was taken up for discussion in the first half of the day, with Home Minister G Parameshwara piloting the legislation, which has been strongly opposed by the BJP. The proposed law seeks to “curb and prevent the dissemination, publication or promotion of hate speech and hate crimes” that cause disharmony and hatred against individuals, groups or organisations and provides for the punishment of offenders as well as compensation to victims.
Introducing the Bill, Parameshwara referred to a Supreme Court judgement delivered on May 5, this year, in which the apex court had stressed the need to deal firmly with attempts to spread communal hatred. He said hate speech had led to murders and clashes between communities, adversely affecting the health of society. The legislation, he said, aimed to uphold constitutional ideals by preventing discrimination and prejudice based on religion, race, caste, gender, language and other grounds.
Defending the need for a separate law, the Home Minister said it was not feasible for law enforcement agencies to indefinitely impose preventive bans on individuals making provocative speeches. “If we get alerts that a person’s speech is going to create tension, we will ban him. How long can we do that? Therefore, a law is required,” he said, adding that violent attacks often followed such speeches.
The Bill empowers the government to order the removal of hate speech content from media platforms. The Bill covers communication made in public view through verbal, print, public or electronic means.
The Bill defines hate crime as “communication of hate speech, by making, publishing or circulating or any act of promoting, propagating, inciting or abetting or attempting such hate speech, to cause disharmony or feelings of enmity or hatred or ill-will against any person dead or alive or group of persons or organisation.”
Opposing the Bill, R Ashoka said its provisions would violate Article 19(1) of the Constitution, which guarantees freedom of expression. He alleged that the law would turn the police into instruments of political vendetta. “This is a weapon for the ruling government. To please some people, someone will be sent to jail,” he said, arguing that journalists and opposition parties would be equally affected. He also contended that existing provisions under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita were sufficient to deal with provocative speeches.
The debate took a chaotic turn when Urban Development and Town Planning Minister Byrathi Suresh said, “After setting fire to the coasts, why are you spewing fire here,” taking a swipe at BJP MLA Vedavyas Kamath, who represents the Mangaluru City South constituency in coastal Karnataka.
BJP MLAs demanded an apology and moved into the well of the House and demanded that Speaker UT Khader expunge it from the records.
Even as the protest continued, Parameshwara sought the support of the House for the Bill. With the Opposition members protesting and unable to participate further in the discussion, the Speaker declared that the Bill had been passed after a voice vote and adjourned the House for lunch. BJP legislators later said they were taken by surprise as the Bill was passed without them being able to join the debate.
The Congress government began talking of a hate speech law a couple of months after a series of communal murders in coastal Karnataka, starting with the lynching of a Muslim man named Ashraf in April.