“A Law Against Liberty: Why Karnataka’s Hate Speech Bill Is a Constitutional Catastrophe”, Swarajya, december 12, 2025
“The Karnataka Hate Speech and Hate Crimes (Prevention) Bill, 2025 has now been passed by the State Legislature. If the public is to believe the government’s stance, the current bill is a necessary shield against rising intolerance as well as a legal response meant to protect vulnerable communities and maintain public order.
However, once the enacted text is examined with legal clarity, the law reveals itself as one of the most sweeping speech control frameworks ever introduced at the state level in independent India. Far from defending society against hate, the new law erects an architecture of censorship and coercion that will deepen fear, intensify self-censorship and enable politically motivated misuse. It does so by creating vague and subjective definitions, criminalising broad categories of expression, granting extraordinary coercive powers to the executive, while providing almost no procedural or judicial safeguards.
The catastrophe the Bill brings forth needs an explanation. It focuses on three major areas……”
Read full article at swarajyamag.com
