Bengaluru, Jan 9 (PTI) Two bills passed by the Karnataka Legislature have been returned by Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot to the state government seeking further clarifications, even as 19 pending legislations have received gubernatorial assent, Lok Bhavan said on Friday.
Apart from them, the Karnataka Hate Speech and Hate Crimes (Prevention) Bill is under the consideration of the governor, according to a release issued by the Special Secretary to the Governor, R Prabhu Shankar.
The press release stated, “Out of 22 Bills, 19 have been approved by the governor and sent for publishing in the Official Gazette. Two Bills—the Karnataka Scheduled Castes (Sub-classification) Bill and the Shree Chamundeshwari Kshetra Development Authority and Certain Other Laws (Amendment) Bill—have been returned to the government, seeking further clarifications.” The SC Sub-classification Bill aims to legally formalise the state’s internal quota system for Scheduled Castes (SCs), dividing the 17 per cent SC reservation into six per cent for left communities (erstwhile untouchables), six per cent for right communities, and five per cent for others.
The primary objective of the amendment bill on Chamundeshwari Kshetra is to modify the administrative structure of the temple development authorities by changing the criteria for key appointments.
The Karnataka Hate Speech and Hate Crimes (Prevention) Bill was recently adopted by the Karnataka Legislature despite protests from the opposition BJP.
The bill provides for a fine of up to Rs 1 lakh and a jail term of up to seven years.
According to the bill, any expression made, published, or circulated—in words, spoken or written, by signs, visible representations, electronic communication, or otherwise—in public view, with the intention of causing injury, disharmony, or feelings of enmity, hatred, or ill-will against a person (alive or dead), class, group of persons, or community, to serve any prejudicial interest, constitutes hate speech.
Biases on the grounds of religion, race, caste, community, sex, gender, sexual orientation, place of birth, residence, language, disability, or tribe are also categorised as hate speech.
The BJP has called it a ‘Brahmastra’ (ultimate deadly weapon) against the opposition. PTI GMS SSK GMS SSK ADB
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