Bengaluru Court Dismisses Hate Speech Complaint Against PM Narendra Modi

A special court in Bengaluru dismissed a private complaint against Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday, which accused him of delivering a hate speech during BJP’s Lok Sabha campaign in Rajasthan in April this year. Ziaur Rahman, the complainant, urged the court to acknowledge the offense under sections related to hate speech, hurting religious sentiments, and criminal intimidation, or to refer the matter to the local police for investigation.

Rahman claimed that Modi's speech in Rajasthan’s Banswara suggested that if the Congress party came to power, it would seize Indians' wealth, including women's mangalsutras, and distribute it among Muslims, thereby attempting to divide the nation based on religion.

However, Judge KN Shivakumar of the Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Court dismissed the complaint, stating that it did not present a case suitable for referral for investigation. The judge concluded that the allegations did not justify further legal action.