The Supreme Court stated on Wednesday that existing legal provisions are sufficient to address hate speech offences, declining to issue further directions on the matter as it falls within the legislature’s domain.“Prescription of punishment lies squarely within legislative domain. Constitutional scheme founded upon doctrine of separation of powers does not permit judiciary to create new offences,” the supreme court said, adding that no legislative vacuum exists to warrant the intervention sought.“While constitutional courts may interpret law, they cannot legislate or compel legislation,” the supreme court said.The court, however, urged the Centre to examine whether fresh legislation is warranted to tackle hate speech in light of changing social contexts.A Bench of Justice Vikram Nath and Justice Sandeep Mehta delivered the judgment on a batch of petitions seeking directions and guidelines to address the issue of hate speech, as cited by Live Law.
