Legislative Assembly passes hate speech bill, while BJP members protest Byrathi Suresh’s remark on MLAs from coastal Karnataka

The Legislative Assembly, on December 18, passed the Bill on preventing hate speech and hate crimes, while members of the Opposition were on a protest over a Minister’s remark on members from coastal Karnataka.

The Assembly took up the Karnataka Hate Speech and Hate Crimes (Prevention) Bill for discussion after Home Minister G. Parameshwara introduced it and briefed the members about its features.

Even as Leader of the Opposition R. Ashok was sharing his comments opposing the Bill, Minister for Urban Development B.S. Suresh (Byrathi) intervened to question why he [Mr. Ashok] was against the Bill. A section of BJP members, including Vedavyasa Kamath, ‘Cement’ Manju, objected to Mr. Suresh’s comments. In reaction, Mr. Suresh made a remark on BJP MLAs representing the coastal region.

The Opposition members objected to the comment and wanted him to apologise. Though Speaker U.T. Khader announced that he would remove the Minister’s remark from the records, BJP members got into the Well of the House to stage a protest.

Dr. Parameshwara sought the support of the House for the Bill, while the Opposition was staging a protest. Members of the BJP were in for a surprise as the Bill was passed, without they being able to join the discussion. The Speaker adjourned the House for lunch, declaring that the Bill had been passed.

Demand for scrutiny

The BJP members demanded that the Bill which was passed when they were staging a protest be referred to a House committee for scrutiny.

Mr. Ashok stated that members of his party were prepared to speak on the Bill; however, they missed the chance as it was passed in a hurry. “There was no need to curtail the opportunity to discuss,” he said.

Minister for Law H.K. Patil maintained that the Bill had been passed and there was no chance to discuss it again.

The Speaker also turned down the BJP’s demand for referring the Bill to a House committee. Protesting against the Speaker’s ruling, the BJP members walked out.

Earlier, introducing the Bill in the House, Dr. Parameshwara said its objective was to curb and prevent dissemination, publication or promotion of hate speech and crimes, which “cause disharmony and hatred in society against a person or group of persons.”

He noted that the Supreme Court, in its judgment on May 5, 2025, had stressed the need for efforts to stop spreading communal hatred through hate speech.

The Bill would cover the communication made in public view, by way of verbal, print, public, or electronic means. People, who committed hate crimes, would be punished for a term not less than one year, which may be extended to seven years with a fine of ₹50,000.

In case of repeat offence, the punishment would not be less than two years, which may be extended to seven years, besides a fine of ₹1 lakh.

Mr. Ashok, in his response, commented that the objective of the Bill was to target the Opposition parties and the media.

“What else can we expect from the people who declared the Emergency? Through this law, the State government is taking away people’s right to speech guaranteed by the Constitution, and putting leaders of Opposition and the media behind bars,” he commented.

He added that there was no need for an additional law to curb hate speech, as the existing laws were strong enough to stop such crimes.