CHENNAI: VCK MP D Ravikumar has urged Union Minister for Law and Justice Ravi Shankar Prasad to take immediate steps to table the Criminal Law (Amendment) Bill, aimed at curbing hate speech, during the upcoming session in the Parliament.
He said the riots and chaos that are playing out in the US and the hate speeches, which led the country to a coup-like situation underscores the need for enacting a legislation against hate speech in India. Ravikumar, in his letter, recalled that India has been a signatory to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR).
According to Article 20 of the ICCPR, it is mandatory to enact a legislation to curb hate crimes. He also pointed out that the Supreme Court had asked the Law Commission of India to draft a Bill to curb hate speech in India a few years ago and the commission had submitted Criminal Law (Amendment) Bill to the Centre in 2017. However, the Bill has been pending for the past three years waiting to be tabled in Parliament.