Good intentions do not necessarily lead to good results, and it is important to remember this lesson from history in the context of the Karnataka Hate Speech and Hate Crimes (Prevention) Act, 2025. Its pious aims are more likely to lead to unintended horrors against free speech and individual liberty and blatant abuse of state power. The proposed law is intended to define and punish hate speech and hate-motivated acts that incite disharmony, hatred or violence against individuals or groups based on various protected characteristics. The corrosion of public spaces in free societies is truly worrying, and governments, policy makers and citizens are rightly concerned. Individuals and communities are targeted for their religion, race, sexual orientation, caste and gender through public platforms, especially social media. There is a certain legal impunity that hate mongers are guaranteed. They are often rewarded with political power and social influence. Starting with prejudice against fellow human beings, hate speech is often fueled by misinformation and fake news. Speech, prejudice and hatred create a vicious cycle that sometimes leads to violence against groups and individuals. Karnataka has more than its share of all this and the state government must have thought that a specific law was the way to deal with it.
Such attempts around the world create more problems than they solve. Limiting speech in any place is a bad idea, and when an agent of the state is empowered to dictate what is allowed and what is not, it is a slippery slope. An example is how law enforcement in several Western countries crack down on peaceful pro-Palestinian speech as anti-Semitic. Most of the attributes that such laws, including the one proposed in Karnataka, seek to define are indefinable concepts like harmony, hatred, enmity and ill will. They all basically agree that no one should spread hatred or prejudice and go on to accuse the naysayers of doing so. Due to the inevitable subjectivity, the powerful prevail in this determination. The bill defines hate speech as any expression (spoken, written, visual, electronic) made before the public with the purpose of intentionally causing injury, disharmony, hostility, hatred or ill will towards a person or group with a prejudicial interest that is so vast and totalitarian that the risk of abuse will be many times greater than any social good that can be achieved by doing so. The only reason speech should be controlled in a free society is the imminent threat of violence, and existing laws are more than adequate to deal with such situations. The Karnataka government is playing to the gallery. And he plays with fire.
Published – 12 Dec 2025 0:20 AM IST
