Hate Speech: SC Lawyers Write To CJI, Request The Court To Take Suo Motu Cognizance Of The Same

• On 26 December, 2021, 76 Supreme Court lawyers penned down a letter addressed to the Hon’ble CJI Ramana, requesting him to take suo motu cognizance of the hate speeches which were delivered on two separate gatherings organised in Delhi and Haridwar.
• The entire nation was appalled when videos of a sabha organized in Haridwar between 17 and 19 December went viral on social media. The sabha was organized by Yati Narsinghanand, while the one in Delhi was organized by Hindu Yuva Vahini. In this video, it was alleged that there was a call for mass genocide of the Muslim Community as a way of ethnic cleansing.
• The lawyers in the letter have urged the CJI to take cognizance of the same. They have also requested him for the issuance of directions under various sections of IPC including sections 120B, 121A, 124A, 153A, 153B, among others.
• It was also contended in the letter that the same were not just hate speeches, but “was an open call for murder” of an entire community. The speeches donot only violate the Constitutional ideals of Unity and Integrity, but they also endanger the lives of millions of muslim citizens of the country.
• It was also pointed out in the letter that the hate speeches are a part of a series of speeches which have been made consistently for quite sometime and that no effective action has been taken in the past incidents, prompting the present letter.
• Further, the letter also said that it has come to the knowledge of the lawyers that a few petitions in this regard under Article 32 of the Constitution are also pending before the Hon’ble Apex Court.
• Thus, urgent judicial intervention is the need of the hour, so that such incidents can be dealt with effectively and swiftly.

And now, a question for our aspirants-
Reasonable restrictions on the right to freedom of speech and expression have been enshrined in Article ______ .