By IANS
Bengaluru: The Congress-led government in Karnataka on Wednesday tabled the Karnataka Hate Speech and Hate Crimes (Prevention and Control) Bill, 2025, in the Assembly.
State Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister H.K. Patil presented the Bill amid strong opposition from BJP leaders.
Afterwards, BJP members continued to protest its introduction. When Speaker U.T. Khader put the Bill to a vote, he stated that the Karnataka Hate Speech and Hate Crimes (Prevention and Control) Bill, 2025, had been tabled and those in favour could say “yes”, while those opposed could say “no”.
BJP leaders shouted that they would never agree to the tabling of the Bill. Some of them argued that the Bill was completely unnecessary and demanded that the matter be discussed in the House.
Following the uproar, Speaker U. T. Khader adjourned the House for 10 minutes.
The Karnataka cabinet, chaired by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, cleared the bill recently aimed at curbing hate speech and related offences during its meeting.
Hate Speech and Hate Crimes Prevention Bill seeks to prevent hate speech and hate crimes and reduce their impact on individuals, groups and the wider community.
Leaders of the BJP have already claimed that the legislation is aimed at leaders associated with Hindutva groups, particularly in the communally sensitive coastal belt.
This story was originally published in freepressjournal.in. Read the full story here.