The Kerala High Court, on Friday, rejected BJP leader P.C. George’s petition for anticipatory bail in a hate speech case concerning his derogatory remarks against the Muslim community.
Justice P.V. Kunhikrishnan, dismisses the plea, reiterated judicial concerns over the increasing recurrence of provocative statements by political figures in a constitutionally secular nation.
The court emphasized the necessity of legislative reforms to impose stricter penalties on individuals who habitually engage in hate speech, underscoring the imperative of preserving communal harmony through legal deterrence.
The case originated from George’s remarks during a televised debate on January 5, which prompted the Muslim Youth League Municipal Committee to file a formal complaint. Consequently, an FIR was registered under Sections 196(1)(a) (promoting enmity on religious, racial, or linguistic grounds) and 299 (malicious acts intended to outrage religious sentiments) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023 (BNS), along with Section 120(o) of the Kerala Police Act, which empowers authorities to address unlawful assemblies.
George had previously sought anticipatory bail from the Kottayam Sessions Court, which denied his request, leading him to escalate the matter to the High Court.
During the hearings, the bench noted his repeated violations of previous bail conditions that explicitly prohibited him from making inflammatory statements, further justifying the court’s refusal to grant relief.
This ruling reinforces the judiciary’s commitment to curbing incendiary rhetoric in political discourse and affirms its role in safeguarding the secular ethos enshrined in the Indian Constitution.
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