The Ripple Effect: Incendiary Role Of Hate Speech And The Omnipotence Of Restorative Justice In India
- IJLLR Journal
- 6 hours ago
- 1 min read
Surbhi Sharma, Ph.D. Scholar, Bennett University, Greater Noida.
Dr. Shivam Gaur, Assistant Professor, Bennett University, Greater Noida.
ABSTRACT
In this paper, the author & co- author analyses the role of hate speech in the process of communal violence in India and the possibility of using restorative justice as a method to avoid the effects of such speech. The research looks at how hate speech in both traditional and digital platforms, as seen in the 2020 Delhi Riots, the 2013 Muzaffarnagar Riots, Haryana Riots 2023, has contributed to rousing social divisions and caused widespread violence. Despite this, Sections 196 and 299 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita do exist but have been inconsistently enforced, and the legal system has faced difficulties in tackling hate speech that has social, political as well as religious roots. The study recommends that there should be a dual approach of strengthening legal frameworks and incorporating them with which system of restorative justice principles that rely on a culture of reconciliation, victim healing, and offender responsibility. The finding implies that restorative justice can be utilised to repair the damage, reduce frictions, and promote long-term social cohesion as a complement to traditional punitive prescription.
Keywords: “Hate Speech”, “Restorative Justice”, “Communal Violence”, “India”, “Legal Reform”.
