The Bill also envisages adequate compensation to the victims.
| Photo Credit: cueapi
The Karnataka Hate Speech and Hate Crimes (Prevention) Bill, which prescribes penalty and imprisonment for hate crime, was tabled in the Assembly on Wednesday amid stern resistance by Opposition members. In all, 12 Bills were tabled in the House on Wednesday.
The Opposition members, particularly from the BJP, vociferously opposed the Bill and shouted “no” when Speaker U.T. Khader sought the consent of the House for tabling the Bill. The entire Opposition expressed resentment and said it would not allow the Bill to be adopted by the House.
The Bill tabled by Home Minister G. Parameshwara seeks to curb and prevent dissemination, publication or promotion of hate speech and crimes that cause disharmony and hatred in society against any person or group of persons or organisations.
What is a hate crime
It defines hate crime as communication of hate speech, by making, publishing or circulating or any act of promoting, propagating, inciting or abetting or attempting such hate speech to cause disharmony or feelings or enmity or hatred or ill-will against any person dead or alive or group of persons or an organisation.
It also seeks to punish whoever commits hate crime with imprisonment for a term which shall not be less than one year and which may extend to seven years with a fine of ₹50,000. For any subsequent or repetitive offices, the punishment shall not be less than two years which may extend to 10 years with a fine of ₹1,00,000.
The Bill seeks to provide adequate compensation to victims.
Talking about the Bill with reporters later, Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar said: “This is on our agenda as we need to maintain peace and law and order in the State. Hate speech is not acceptable in any civic society.”
In all, the Assembly saw the tabling of 12 Bills including the Karnataka Rent (Amendment) Bill that seeks to achieve the principle of “minimum government maximum governance” by decriminalisation of minor offences and rationalisation of monetary penalties as envisaged in the Jan Vishwas (Amendment of Provisions) Act 2023 (Central Act 18 of 2023).
The Karnataka Labour Welfare Fund (Amendment) Bill; the Drugs and Cosmetics (Karnataka Amendment) Bill; the Karnataka Cine and Cultural Activists (Welfare) (Amendment) Bill; and the Karnataka Hindu Religious Institutions and Charitable Endowments (Amendment) Bill were also tabled.
Other Bills tabled
The other Bills that were tabled in the Assembly were: the Malnad Area Development Board (Amendment) Bill; the Bayaluseeme Development Board (Amendment) Bill; the Karnataka State Universities (Second Amendment) Bill; the Shree Chamundeshwari Kshetra Development Authority and Certain Other Laws (Amendment) Bill; the Chandraguthi Shree Renukamba Kshetra Development Authority Bill, and the Sri Malai Mahadeshwaraswamy Kshetra Development Authority (Amendment) Bill.
Highlights of Bill
It aims to curb and prevent dissemination, publication or promotion of hate speech and crimes that cause disharmony and hatred.
It provides for one-year imprisonment which may extend to seven years with a fine of ₹ 50,000 for first time offence.
For subsequent offices, the punishment shall not be less than two years which may extend to 10 years with a fine of ₹ 1,00,000
It provides for compensation to be paid to victims
Published – December 10, 2025 06:20 pm IST
