Hyderabad: The Telangana cabinet led by chief minister A Revanth Reddy on Monday approved the Telangana Hate Speech and Hate Crime Prevention Bill, 2026, which is likely to be tabled during the ongoing budget session of the assembly.The cabinet meeting held in the assembly committee hall, after the house proceedings were adjourned for the day, approved other important bills and projects too, including The Parents Support Bill, the Telangana Platform-Based Gig Workers (Registration, Social Security, and Welfare) Bill, 2026, the Telangana Advocates Protection Bill, and the appointment of Hyderabad Metro Rail Limited as the nodal agency for handling financial payments and transactions in taking over the metro rail from L&T.Although details of the hate speech bill have not been made public, sources told TOI that the bill has been drafted to curb “speeches, posts on social media platforms, and other platforms that disrupt communal harmony”, as well as speeches that incite riots and conflicts.The bill has been reportedly modelled on a similar legislation in Karnataka. It aims to regulate social media, provide victim compensation, and create a specialised monitoring body to maintain public order.A senior Congress leader said discussions held earlier on the bill included clearly defining hate speech, its expression—verbal, written, or visual—that has the potential to cause injury, hatred, or ill will against individuals or groups based on religion, caste, gender, or language.The pre-draft discussions also included fixing imprisonment terms and fines. Compensation to victims of hate speech-triggered outcomes has also been included in the bill, sources said.Revanth had earlier said a law was needed to protect minority communities, including Muslims, from targeted hate campaigns. He had said this while addressing the Jamiat Ulama Telangana consultative meeting.The cabinet also approved the constitution of a cabinet sub-committee, headed by deputy chief minister Bhatti Vikramarka, to formulate the modalities for the ‘Rohith Vemula Act’—legislation aimed at curbing caste-based discrimination within educational institutions.Metro takeover expeditedThe cabinet also decided to expedite the process of taking over the existing 69-kilometre Metro rail in Hyderabad from L&T. The govt would need to pay L&T Rs 15,000 crore—including the outstanding debt burden—to acquire phase 1 of the project. The cabinet approved Hyderabad Metro Rail Limited as the nodal agency to handle the financial payments and transactions on behalf of the govt.The cabinet also approved the ‘Telangana Platform-Based Gig Workers (Registration, Social Security, and Welfare) Act, 2026′, a Bill designed to ensure the welfare and security of gig and platform workers.It also approved the Telangana Advocates Protection Bill, which has been drafted to curb incidents of attacks against lawyers and to provide them with necessary protection.The report submitted by the committee of independent experts appointed by the state govt to study the caste census conducted within the state was also cleared. The responsibility of examining the report submitted by the expert committee has been entrusted to a cabinet sub-committee.Box:The state cabinet approved The Parents Support Bill. Public representatives and employees (govt and private) who neglect their elderly parents will face salary deductions. Fifteen per cent of salary or Rs 10,000 (whichever is lower) will be deducted and given to parents as support.
