Telangana govt introduces 'Hate Speech' Bill in Assembly

Hyderabad: The Congress government in the state on Sunday introduced the "Telangana Hate Speech and Hate Crimes (Prevention) Bill, 2026" in the Legislative Assembly, proposing a maximum jail term of 10 years to related offences.

If passed, Telangana would become the second state after Karnataka to pass such a law in the Legislature.

Legislative Affairs Minister D Sridhar Babu moved the motion to introduce the Bill on behalf of Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy.

Under the Bill, whoever commits a "hate crime" shall be punished with imprisonment of not less than one year, which may extend to seven years, along with a fine of Rs 50,000.

Repeated offences will attract a fine of Rs 1 lakh and imprisonment ranging from two years up to ten years.

Offences under the new Bill are non-bailable. "The existing legal framework does not comprehensively address the evolving nature and manifestation of hate speech, and hate crimes, necessitating dedicated and robust legislation to effectively prevent, regulate and penalise such conduct, while also ensuring protection and redress for affected persons," it said.

The Telangana cabinet approved the Bill on March 23, designed to curb speeches that incite riots and conflicts.

The government also introduced the Telangana Platform-Based Gig Workers (Registration, Social Security and Welfare) Act, 2026, for the benefit of approximately 4.2 workers in the state.

Under the Bill, worker registration will be implemented, along with establishing a welfare board and a welfare fund.

The Bill provides legal recognition, social security, and protection of rights for gig workers through the formation of a welfare board.

This Bill, previously approved by the Cabinet, has now been slightly revised to align with the Social Security Code recently introduced by the Centre.