Karnataka: Governor sent Hate Speech Bill to President to see it goes into cold storage, says Home Minister

Bengaluru: Home Minister G Parameshwara on Monday said Governor Thawar Chand Gehlot has deliberately sent the State’s hate speech bill to the President to see if it went into cold storage and does not get implemented.

The Home Minister was referring to the Hate Speech and Hate Crimes (Prevention) Bill, 2025, the Karnataka Legislature passed in December.

The Governor, Parameshwara said, had raised queries over 28 points in the Bill before forwarding it to the President for vetting. The government would respond to the President if the Rashtrapati Bhavan seeks any clarifications, he added.


Freedom of speech did not mean anyone could make speeches that could vitiate the peaceful atmosphere in the society and stoke tensions. The Bill aimed to control such tendencies and maintain social harmony, the home minister said.

The Governor’s action came after a delegation from the Opposition BJP met him and urged him not to assent the bill, raising fears of the Congress government misusing it for political reasons.

The Bill prescribes a jail term of between one and seven years besides a fine of up to Rs 50,000 for hate speech related offences. A first such bill in the country, the move has inspired the neighbouring Telangana to plan a similar law.