Row as Karnataka Hate Speech Bill notice issued to BJP leader

APolitical argument erupted on sun after law in Chikkamagaluru territory issued a warning note to a Bharatiya Janata Party leader under provisions of the proposed Hate Speech and Hate Crimes (Prevention) Bill, 2025, which is yet to be approved by the governor and notified.The notice was issued to Vikas Puttur, a BJP leader who was scheduled to speak at a Hindu Samajotsava procession held on January 24 in Tarikere town. The Karnataka Hate Speech Bill has been passed by the legislature but is still awaiting the governor’s assent and has not been notified in the state gazette, a prerequisite for it to come into force.According to the notice served by the Chikkamagaluru police on January 22, Puttur was instructed to ensure that his speech did not hurt the sentiments of any community or incite hatred or violence against any group.The police also said the procession would be monitored to ensure public order and traffic flow, and warned that “legal action would be taken if the programme violated the provisions of the Hate Speech Bill, 2025.”The police action drew sharp criticism from the BJP, which accused the Congress-led government of misusing the police machinery to intimidate opposition leaders.Rajajinagar BJP MLA Suresh Kumar questioned the legal basis of the notice in a social media post, asking whether the bill had become an Act and whether it had received the Governor’s signature.“Anticipatory bail was known,” he wrote. “But anticipatory notice is actually a new practice of the home department before the Act is implemented.”In the same post, Kumar described the police notice as a “love letter” issued to a senior party worker and questioned why police had not taken similar action against Congress leaders in other cases.The opposition leader in the Legislative Assembly, R Ashoka, also criticised the move in a post on X on Sunday, targeting chief minister Siddaramaiah. “Does the chief minister, a self-proclaimed constitutional expert and lawyer, not have the minimum knowledge that a bill cannot become a law without the governor’s signature and official publication in the gazette?” he asked. Ashoka alleged that citing an unimplemented bill to warn opposition leaders showed that police stations had “become Congress party offices.”The leader of opposition further accused the ruling party of harbouring prejudice against Hindu religious events, claiming that processions such as Ganesh Visarjan, Shobha Yatras and Hindu Samajotsavas were increasingly being subjected to restrictions under the Congress government.Amid the controversy, home minister G Parameshwara acknowledged that the notice should not have been issued under the Hate Speech Bill, as it has not yet become law. Responding to media queries, he said he would seek a report on the matter. “This bill has not yet been signed by the governor. Notices can be issued under various sections of the Indian Penal Code. Since this has not yet become a law, it is wrong to issue notices under this bill. We need to see why the police did this,” he said.Under the proposed law, hate speech and hate crimes would be treated as cognisable and non-bailable offences, triable by a judicial magistrate first class.Introducing the Bill in the Assembly, home minister G Parameshwara said, “Whoever commits hate crimes shall be punished with imprisonment for a term which shall not be less than one year, but which may be extended to seven years, and with a fine of ₹50,000. Furthermore, for subsequent or repetitive offences, the punishment will be increased to two years and a fine of ₹1 lakh.”The Bill’s definition of prejudicial interest encompasses bias or hostility based on religion, race, caste or community, sex, gender, sexual orientation, place of birth, residence, language, disability or tribe. It also extends liability to organisations and institutions.