Aditi Singh, B.A.LL.B, Alliance School of Law, Alliance University
ABSTRACT
It's been a few decades since the Internet took the information resource by storm. The Internet has changed/revolutionized the way information is shared and the way people communicate. Therefore, as people share their opinions and information from every nook and corner of the world, the information has also been criticized and overloaded. Alongside the progress, India has struggled with problems and separatism. India, which is a democratic country and grants the fundamental right to freedom of speech and expression, violates the given law by restricting freedom of speech and expression by imposing Section 124A of the Indian Penal Code, 1860 which treats hate speech or sedition as a crime. In fact, it is true that people sometimes cross the line of decency and pose a threat to national integration, and the state has the power to impose appropriate restrictions in the national interest, but the judiciary must examine whether or not those restrictions are legitimate. Hate speech is wreaking havoc in the country and should be under control, but lately a crime of sedition has been abused. The act of hate speech applied is different from the way it appears in print and different from the way it grew. The aim of the study is to answer how the Indian government restricts individuals' right to freedom of expression, how Indian politicians and media are responsible for hate speech by presenting biased opinions and/or motivated news. It highlights cases of hate speech, where a politician's speech or biased media coverage leads to public disorder, violence, and communal killings. The investigation also shows how social networks are currently being misused to disseminate provocative opinions in public.
Keywords: Sedition, Indian Government, Hate speech, social media.
