Centre questions need for Karnataka hate speech Bill, says provisions covered under BNS

2 min readBengaluruUpdated: Jun 8, 2026 07:49 PM IST

Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot has withheld his assent for the Bill, citing representations received against it. (File Photo)

The Karnataka government’s attempt to enact a law to curb hate speech has met resistance from the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), which questioned the need for a separate state law when the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) contains provisions against the crime.

Under the Hate Speech and Hate Crimes (Prevention) Bill 2025, passed by the legislature last December, first-time offences carried a punishment of one to seven years’ imprisonment along with a Rs 50,000 fine, while repeat offenders could face up to 10 years in prison and a Rs 1 lakh fine.

In February, Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot withheld his assent for the Bill, citing representations received against it, and reserved it for the President’s consideration. A communication from Lok Bhavan to the President said the definition of hate speech was vague in the Bill and that there was a “possibility of misuse of the provisions of this Act for political malice or to avenge hatred against any person, group or community”.

Later, based on comments from its own judicial cell and the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, the MHA sought clarifications from the state government.

An office memorandum from the MHA’s Centre-State Division, accessed by indianexpress.com, stated that the provisions of the hate speech Bill were “already substantially covered under the existing provisions of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, and other prevailing laws”. The memo, issued on May 12, further stated that a separate state law “may result in duplication and lack of uniformity”.

The memo added, “It is felt that the proposed legislation may not be necessary at this stage, and the existing legal framework is adequate to address the concerns.”

This memo was forwarded to Karnataka’s home department and the Department of Parliamentary Affairs and Legislation on May 20. It also sought further comments and clarifications regarding the Bill from the home department.

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The Opposition BJP had criticised the Bill as “draconian” before its passage in the legislature.