Hate speech a criminal act; ruling party endorsing it: Former Supreme Court judge Justice Rohinton Nariman

This picture has been used for representational purpose

Commenting on the ongoing hate speech row in the country, retired Supreme Court judge Justice Rohinton Nariman has said "hate speech is a criminal act, and is being endorsed by the ruling party".

Speaking at a webinar recently, Justice Nariman said, "while students and comedians are being booked under sedition law, there is reluctance among the authorities to book people who are giving hate speeches (and) actually calling for genocide," the Bar and Bench reported.

"We also unfortunately have higher echelons of the ruling party not only being silent qua hate speech but also almost endorsing it," he further said.

"We heard the other day from the very head of the party a juxtaposition of a Mughal emperor known for being a bigot, namely, Aurangzeb as against Shivaji who was known to be a secular leader," Justice Nariman said as quoted by the report.

"Now if as a matter of fact, fraternity is a cardinal value in our Constitution and you want to engage persons in brotherhood, I would have thought you should have chosen a Mughal emperor such as Babar or his grandson Akbar. Akbar was famous for perhaps being one of the most secular rulers that any nation had ever known at any point in time," he added.