Hindi English Translation || Editorial || Preventing harm: On judicial intervention against hate speech

Preventing harm: On judicial intervention against hate speech

Proactive intervention (हस्तक्षेप, भागीदारी) is needed to stop spread of hate and inflammatory (भड़काऊ, उकसाने वाला, भड़काने वाला) speeches

The value of proactive judicial intervention cannot be understated (play down, downplay, de-emphasize). After the Supreme Court called for (के लिए कॉल, आवश्यकता है, सार्वजनिक रूप से पूछना) “corrective (सुधारात्मक, दंडात्मक, अनुशासनात्मक) measures (उपाय, क्रिया, कदम)” against the peddling (an act of promoting an idea extensively) of communal hate from supposedly (कथित तौर पर, जाहिरा तौर पर) religious platforms, the authorities (प्राधिकारी, अधिकारी) in Uttarakhand have prevented the holding (पकड़, आचरण करना, व्यवस्थित करना) of a ‘dharam sansad’ in Roorkee by imposing (थोपना, लागू करना, ठीक करना) prohibitory (प्रतिषेधात्मक, निषेधात्मक) orders against such gatherings (सभा, अधिवेशन). At a time when communally motivated gatherings are becoming conspicuous (clearly visible, noticeable, obvious, evident) in their frequency (आवृत्ति, घटना की दर) and vociferous (मुखर, जोरदार, पूर्ण गले) in their fulminations (protest, objection, complaint) against minorities, one would have expected the police to be more sensitive to the situation and prevent hate speeches (द्वेषपूर्ण भाषण, अपमानजनक भाषण). Counsel (barrister, lawyer, legal practitioner) for Himachal Pradesh has said preventive (निवारक, सुरक्षात्मक) steps were taken when one such gathering took place a few days ago, and that the participants were warned against any incitement (provocation, inducement, fomentation), but those who have approached the Court against the trend of hate speeches at such meets, accuse the local authorities of inaction (inactivity, negligence, disregard). It was one such religious conclave (meeting, gathering, assembly, convention) in Haridwar in December that witnessed (show, indicate, reveal; notice) extraordinarily (extremely, unusually) inflammatory speeches being made against Muslims, some of them having a shockingly (horribly, awfully, very badly) genocidal (relating to the deliberate mass murder/killing) tenor (the general content/meaning). After dithering (be indecisive, be unsure, be undecided, hesitate), the Uttarakhand police had then arrested Yati Narsinghanand, a controversial priest and Hindutva leader, who was among those who had allegedly (reportedly, supposedly, purportedly, ostensibly, apparently) called for armed (equipped, provided, furnished with fire arms/weapons) violence against minorities. Even after obtaining bail (conditional, temporary release of an arrested/imprisoned person when a specified amount of security is deposited or pledged (as cash or property) to ensure his/her appearance in court when required), under a condition that he would not make any provocative (annoying, irritating, agitational, provoking, inflammatory) speeches, he had participated in a similar event in Delhi. Instances (occasion, occurrence, case) of controversial religious figures (person, individual, personality) making unacceptable comments at different places and occasions have emerged as a disturbing pattern, one that the Court may have to arrest (stop, halt, end, check, block, prevent) by stern (strict, severe) action.

One way of looking at this phenomenon (occurrence, event, happening) is to dismiss (disregard, brush off, shrug off, set aside, forget) it as not being representative (symbolic, evocative) of the silent majority and as the activity of a few fringe (unconventional, unorthodox, unofficial; radical, extreme (by a group with marginal or extremist views)) elements. However, it cannot be gainsaid (deny, dispute, disagree with) that the provocateurs (one who engages in provocative behavior) are seeking (try, aim, attempt) to foster (encourage, promote, cultivate, nurture, espouse, uphold, back, facilitate) a collective (combined, united/joint, cooperative (by all people as a group)) fear among the majority that their interests (common concerns (in politics/business)) are not being protected by an allegedly minority-friendly Constitution, and feeding off (support, strengthen, fortify) the same fear to spread their message of hate. The possible damage to the social fabric (structure, framework, system, foundation) is incalculable (inestimable, indeterminable, immeasurable, uncountable, incomputable), as the language of hatred may seep into (permeate, flow, soak) the public consciousness (awareness, knowledge, realization, recognition) as an acceptable thought process (thinking, thought; viewpoint, perspective; contemplation). The result may be an atmosphere (condition, circumstance, environment) in which communal harmony (unity, solidarity, cooperation, agreement/concord) and public tranquillity (peacefulness, restfulness, calmness, quietness) will be at perennial (everlasting, unending, endless, permanent) risk. It is in this backdrop (situation, scenario, context) that modern democracies make a clear distinction (difference, contrast, dissimilarity, divergence, variance, variation) between freedom of expression and speech that tends to (gravitate, be drawn, move; go in a specific direction) incite (stir up, fuel, kindle, ignite, inflame, instigate, provoke, arouse, trigger, foment) hatred against a public group or section (segment, part, division (within a larger body of people)) of society. The Supreme Court has recognised (acknowledge, accept, admit something (existence, validity, or legality)) the potential (possibility, potentiality, prospect; capability, capacity) for a wider societal (related to society) impact beyond the distress (anguish, suffering, pain, difficulty, trouble, hardship, adversity) caused to individual members of the targeted group. In cases relating to lynching (an act of punishing/killing someone by hanging for claimed offence by the group of people without legal trail) and ‘khap panchayats (the self-appointed village courts)’, the Court laid down guidelines on preventive, remedial (corrective, restorative, reparative) and punitive (disciplinary, corrective, retributive) measures. While these are to be followed without exceptions (randomly, unsystematically, aimlessly, unmethodically, haphazardly, blindly, uncritically, undiscriminatingly), there is also a need for considering new criminal and penal (disciplinary, punitive, corrective, correctional) provisions (clause, stipulation, condition, specification, requirement) to combat (fight against, confront, resist, oppose) hate speech.

Courtesy: The Hindu

Important Word List With Meaning

1.intervention (noun)

Hindi Meaning - हस्तक्षेप, भागीदारी
English Meaning - involvement, interference; mediation, arbitration, conciliation, peacemaking.

2.hate speech (noun)

Hindi Meaning - द्वेषपूर्ण भाषण, अपमानजनक भाषण
English Meaning - abusive or disrespectful speech.

3.inflammatory (adjective)

Hindi Meaning - भड़काऊ, उकसाने वाला, भड़काने वाला
English Meaning - provocative, provoking, incendiary, inciting, agitating, stirring, rousing, fomenting.

4.call for (phrasal verb)

Hindi Meaning - के लिए कॉल, आवश्यकता है, सार्वजनिक रूप से पूछना
English Meaning - require, publicly ask/necessitate, demand.

5.corrective (adjective)

Hindi Meaning - सुधारात्मक, दंडात्मक, अनुशासनात्मक
English Meaning - correctional, punitive, penal, disciplinary, reformatory.

6.measure (noun)

Hindi Meaning - उपाय, क्रिया, कदम
English Meaning - course of action, action, step, procedure.

7.supposedly (adverb)

Hindi Meaning - कथित तौर पर, जाहिरा तौर पर
English Meaning - reportedly, purportedly, ostensibly, apparently.

8.authorities (noun)

Hindi Meaning - प्राधिकारी, अधिकारी
English Meaning - officials, officialdom, the people in charge, the bureaucracy,

9.hold (verb)

Hindi Meaning - पकड़, आचरण करना, व्यवस्थित करना
English Meaning - conduct, have, organize.

10.impose (verb)

Hindi Meaning - थोपना, लागू करना, ठीक करना
English Meaning - apply, enforce, exact, inflict.

11.prohibitory (adjective)

Hindi Meaning - प्रतिषेधात्मक, निषेधात्मक
English Meaning - prohibitive, restrictive, forbidding.

12.gathering (noun)

Hindi Meaning - सभा, अधिवेशन
English Meaning - assembly, meeting, convention, rally.

13.frequency (noun)

Hindi Meaning - आवृत्ति, घटना की दर
English Meaning - rate of occurrence, commonness, frequentness, prevalence.

14.vociferous (adjective)

Hindi Meaning - मुखर, जोरदार, पूर्ण गले
English Meaning - vehement, full-throated, vigorous; outspoken.

15.preventive (adjective)

Hindi Meaning - निवारक, सुरक्षात्मक
English Meaning - safety, protective, precautionary.

16.peddling (noun)

English Meaning - an act of promoting an idea extensively.

17.understate (verb)

English Meaning - play down, downplay, de-emphasize.

18.prohibitory (orders) (noun)

English Meaning - it refer to orders issued by competent authorities prohibiting certain things under various acts.

19.conspicuous (adjective)

English Meaning - clearly visible, noticeable, obvious, evident.

20.fulmination (noun)

English Meaning - protest, objection, complaint.

21.counsel (noun)

English Meaning - barrister, lawyer, legal practitioner.

22.incitement (noun)

English Meaning - provocation, inducement, fomentation.

23.inaction (noun)

English Meaning - inactivity, negligence, disregard.

24.conclave (noun)

English Meaning - meeting, gathering, assembly, convention.

25.witness (verb)

English Meaning - show, indicate, reveal; notice.

26.extraordinarily (adverb)

English Meaning - extremely, unusually.

27.shockingly (adverb)

English Meaning - horribly, awfully, very badly.

28.genocidal (adjective)

English Meaning - relating to the deliberate mass murder/killing.

29.tenor (noun)

English Meaning - the general content/meaning.

30.dither (verb)

English Meaning - be indecisive, be unsure, be undecided, hesitate.

31.allegedly (adverb)

English Meaning - reportedly, supposedly, purportedly, ostensibly, apparently.

32.armed (adjective)

English Meaning - equipped, provided, furnished with fire arms/weapons.

33.bail (noun)

English Meaning - conditional, temporary release of an arrested/imprisoned person when a specified amount of security is deposited or pledged (as cash or property) to ensure his/her appearance in court when required.

34.provocative (adjective)

English Meaning - annoying, irritating, agitational, provoking, inflammatory.

35.instance (noun)

English Meaning - occasion, occurrence, case.

36.figure (noun)

English Meaning - person, individual, personality.

37.arrest (verb)

English Meaning - stop, halt, end, check, block, prevent.

38.stern (adjective)

English Meaning - strict, severe.

39.phenomenon (noun)

English Meaning - occurrence, event, happening.

40.dismiss (verb)

English Meaning - disregard, brush off, shrug off, set aside, forget.

41.representative (adjective)

English Meaning - symbolic, evocative.

42.fringe (adjective)

English Meaning - unconventional, unorthodox, unofficial; radical, extreme (by a group with marginal or extremist views).

43.gainsay (verb)

English Meaning - deny, dispute, disagree with.

44.provocateur (noun)

English Meaning - one who engages in provocative behavior.

45.seek (verb)

English Meaning - try, aim, attempt.

46.foster (verb)

English Meaning - encourage, promote, cultivate, nurture, espouse, uphold, back, facilitate.

47.collective (adjective)

English Meaning - combined, united/joint, cooperative (by all people as a group).

48.interest (noun)

English Meaning - common concerns (in politics/business).

49.feed off (phrasal verb)

English Meaning - support, strengthen, fortify.

50.fabric (noun)

English Meaning - structure, framework, system, foundation.

51.incalculable (adjective)

English Meaning - inestimable, indeterminable, immeasurable, uncountable, incomputable,

52.hatred (noun)

English Meaning - enmity, antipathy, antagonism, hostility, resentment, aversion.

53.seep into (verb)

English Meaning - permeate, flow, soak.

54.consciousness (noun)

English Meaning - awareness, knowledge, realization, recognition.

55.thought process (noun)

English Meaning - thinking, thought; viewpoint, perspective; contemplation.

56.atmosphere (noun)

English Meaning - condition, circumstance, environment.

57.harmony (noun)

English Meaning - unity, solidarity, cooperation, agreement/concord.

58.tranquillity (noun)

English Meaning - peacefulness, restfulness, calmness, quietness.

59.perennial (adjective)

English Meaning - everlasting, unending, endless, permanent.

60.backdrop (noun)

English Meaning - situation, scenario, context.

61.distinction (noun)

English Meaning - difference, contrast, dissimilarity, divergence, variance, variation.

62.tend to (verb)

English Meaning - gravitate, be drawn, move; go in a specific direction.

63.incite (verb)

English Meaning - stir up, fuel, kindle, ignite, inflame, instigate, provoke, arouse, trigger, foment.

64.section (noun)

English Meaning - segment, part, division (within a larger body of people).

65.recognise (verb)

English Meaning - acknowledge, accept, admit something (existence, validity, or legality).

66.potential (adjective)

English Meaning - possibility, potentiality, prospect; capability, capacity.

67.societal (adjective)

English Meaning - related to society.

68.distress (noun)

English Meaning - anguish, suffering, pain, difficulty, trouble, hardship, adversity.

69.lynching (noun)

English Meaning - an act of punishing/killing someone by hanging for claimed offence by the group of people without legal trail.

70.Khap panchayats (noun)

English Meaning - the self-appointed village courts.

71.lay down (phrasal verb)

English Meaning - formulate, stipulate, set down, draw up, frame.

72.remedial (adjective)

English Meaning - corrective, restorative, reparative.

73.punitive (adjective)

English Meaning - disciplinary, corrective, retributive.

74.without exception (phrase)

English Meaning - randomly, unsystematically, aimlessly, unmethodically, haphazardly, blindly, uncritically, undiscriminatingly.

75.penal (adjective)

English Meaning - disciplinary, punitive, corrective, correctional.

76.provision (noun)

English Meaning - clause, stipulation, condition, specification, requirement.

77.combat (verb)

English Meaning - fight against, confront, resist, oppose.