(1.) The jurisdiction of this Court has been invoked under Article 32 of the Constitution of India by way of the present writ petitions seeking, inter alia, appropriate directions to the respondent-Union of India to examine the existing legal framework governing 'hate speech ' and 'rumour-mongering ', and to take such steps as may be necessary to effectively address and regulate the same by way of a legislation.
(2.) The proceedings have been occasioned primarily by two developments. First, reliance has been placed upon the 267th Report dtd. 23/3/2017, of the Law Commission of India which recommended certain amendments to the criminal law, including the introduction of specific provisions dealing with 'incitement to hatred '. Secondly, the petitioners have referred to the emergence of public speeches during the COVID-19 pandemic allegedly targeting particular religious minorities, wherein it was insinuated that members of those communities were responsible for spreading the virus by engaging in communal conduct rather than adhering to public health protocols such as social distancing.
(3.) These proceedings arise from 13 writ petitions filed by petitioners from various part of the country. The reliefs sought in each of these petitions are captured in the table below, for ease of reference - <IMG>JUDGEMENT_107_LAWS(SC)4_2026_1.jpg</IMG> <IMG>JUDGEMENT_107_LAWS(SC)4_2026_2.jpg</IMG> <IMG>JUDGEMENT_107_LAWS(SC)4_2026_3.jpg</IMG> <IMG>JUDGEMENT_107_LAWS(SC)4_2026_4.jpg</IMG> <IMG>JUDGEMENT_107_LAWS(SC)4_2026_5.jpg</IMG> <IMG>JUDGEMENT_107_LAWS(SC)4_2026_6.jpg</IMG> <IMG>JUDGEMENT_107_LAWS(SC)4_2026_7.jpg</IMG> <IMG>JUDGEMENT_107_LAWS(SC)4_2026_8.jpg</IMG> <IMG>JUDGEMENT_107_LAWS(SC)4_2026_9.jpg</IMG> <IMG>JUDGEMENT_107_LAWS(SC)4_2026_10.jpg</IMG> <IMG>JUDGEMENT_107_LAWS(SC)4_2026_11.jpg</IMG> <IMG>JUDGEMENT_107_LAWS(SC)4_2026_12.jpg</IMG> <IMG>JUDGEMENT_107_LAWS(SC)4_2026_13.jpg</IMG>