The Supreme Court on Monday told a PIL petitioner who raised the issue of “governmental inaction” over “hate speeches” that she may be right in saying that hate speeches are sullying the country’s atmosphere and need to be curbed.

The remarks came from Chief Justice of India U U Lalit while hearing the plea alleging that hate speeches were being made against the minority community “to win the majority Hindu votes, to grab power at all posts, to commit genocide and make India a Hindu Rashtra before 2024 elections” and that several crimes were committed on this account.

Presiding over a two-judge bench also comprising Justice S Ravindra Bhat, the CJI , however, said that the plea lacked specifics or detailed information and had only “vague” assertions. “We don’t even know what are the details of those particular crimes, what is the status, what is your say, who are the persons involved, whether any crime was registered, not registered, etc. You may be right, perhaps, in saying that the entire atmosphere is being sullied as a result of hate speeches. Perhaps you have every justifiable grounds to say that this needs to be curbed, but this kind of ominous petition under Article 32 cannot be,” CJI Lalit said wondering if petitioner would need assistance of an amicus curiae.