JD(S) petitions Governor to refuse assent to Karnataka Hate Speech bill

Bengaluru: A delegation of JD(S) leaders called on Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot to submit a petition urging him to withhold assent to the Hate Speech and Hate Crimes Bill that the Congress government recently passed in the Winter Session of the state legislature.

The delegation, led by the party’s floor leader in the Assembly C B Suresh Babu, argued that the bill, in its current form posed a significant threat to the Freedom of Speech and Expression, enshrined in Article 19 (1) (a) of the Constitution.

The JD(S) leaders urged Gehlot to exercise his Constitutional discretion and refuse his assent to the bill. The regional party argued that provisions of the bill could be misused to suppress dissent, besides underscoring the possibility of some of its clauses being in contravention of rights guaranteed by the Constitution. “The bill does not guarantee protection for individual dignity, which is fundamental to democratic accountability,” the petition said.

JD(S) core committee president Krishna Reddy said that the bill reflected the Congress government’s skewed priorities. “Instead of addressing citizens’ problems, the government is interested in this bill that snatches the right that guarantees Freedom of Speech and Expression. We have petitioned the Governor, and in the coming days, will launch an agitation to protest the bill,” said Reddy.