HYDERABAD: The govt on Sunday introduced the Telangana Hate Speech and Hate Crimes (Prevention) Bill, 2026 in the assembly, which states that whoever commits hate crime shall be punished with imprisonment for a term not be less than a year, which may extend to seven years with a fine of Rs 50,000.The Bill also states that whoever commits any subsequent or repetitive offences, the punishment should not be less than two years, which might extend to 10 years with a fine of Rs 1 lakh.The court may award adequate compensation to the victim by calculating the injury caused due to hate crime, depending upon the gravity of the impact of the crime. The offences under this Act should be cognisable, non-bailable and triable by the judicial magistrate of first class. The provisions of Chapter IX of the Bhartiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023, so far as may be, apply for the purposes.The Bill after it is passed by both the Houses would be reserved by the governor for he consideration and assent of the President under Article 254 (2) of the Constitution.IT and industries minister D Sridhar Babu introduced the Bill in the House on behalf of the chief minister.Objectives and reasons stated in the Bill were that there has been a discernible increase in incidents of hate speech and hate crimes, particularly through digital and social media platforms, which have the potential to spread rapidly and cause serious harm to public order and social harmony.According to the bill: “Hate speech includes any expression which is made, published, or circulated, in words either spoken or written or by signs or by visible representations or through electronic communication or otherwise, in public view, with an intention to cause injury, disharmony or feelings of enmity or hatred or ill-will against person alive or dead, class or group of persons or community, to meet any prejudicial interest.“The existing legal framework does not comprehensively address the evolving nature and manifestations of hate speech and hate crimes, necessitating a dedicated and robust legislation to effectively prevent, regulate, and penalise such conduct, while also ensuring protection and redress to affected persons.“It is, therefore, considered necessary to enact a legislation to curb and prevent the dissemination, publication, or promotion of hate speech and hate crimes that incite disharmony or hatred in society against any person, group of persons, or organisations; provide for stringent and deterrent punishment for the commission of such offences; and ensure adequate compensation to victims affected by such acts,” the Bill states.A designated officer, as notified by the state govt, would have the power to direct any service provider, intermediaries, person or entity to block or remove the hate crime materials from its domain including electronic media.
