Karnataka Cabinet approves bill on hate speech and hate crimes

The Karnataka Cabinet has approved the Bill on Hate Speech and Hate Crimes on Thursday.

Earlier this year, the government had come up with a draft of the Karnataka Misinformation and Fake News (Prohibition) Bill and the Karnataka Hate Speech and Hate Crimes (Prevention And Control) Bill as it looks to institutionalise mechanisms to fight the twin hazards. 

Since coming to power in 2023, the Congress government has booked 259 ‘fake news’ cases. Of them, 75 cases are under investigation; six cases have seen punishment.

In October last year, the government formed a high-level committee chaired by Home Minister G Parameshwara to institutionalise the fact-check mechanism. IT/BT Minister Priyank Kharge is co-chairing the committee.