Telangana introduces Bill to punish hate crimes with up to 10 years in prison
As per the Bill, hate speech includes all expressions intended to cause injury, disharmony, feelings of enmity, hatred or ill-will against people, a group of people or a community
The Congress government, led by Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy, introduced the Telangana Hate Speech and Hate Crimes (Prevention) Bill, 2026, in the Legislative Assembly on Sunday.
As per the Bill, hate crimes can be punished with a minimum jail term of one year and a maximum of seven years with a fine of Rs 50,000. For a repeat offender, the minimum term of imprisonment will be two years, and it can go up to a maximum of 10 years and a fine of Rs 1 lakh. Courts may also award adequate compensation to the victim depending on the gravity and impact of the crime.
The Bill also makes a provision to penalise organisations or institutions that perpetuate hate crimes. If the offence is committed by an organisation or institution, then each person involved in any managerial capacity of the said organisation or institution shall be penalised, unless they prove that they were not involved in the commission of the offence.
According to the Bill, hate speech includes any “expression which is made, published or circulated, in words either spoken or written or by signs or by visible representations or through electronic communication or otherwise” that meets “prejudicial interest”. Hate speech will include all those expressions which are intended to cause injury, disharmony, feelings of enmity, hatred or ill-will against people, a group of people or a community.
The Bill defines as prejudicial any bias on the grounds of “religion, race, caste or community, sex, gender, sexual orientation, place of birth, residence, language, disability or tribe”.
Hate crime is defined as any communication of hate speech by making, publishing or circulating any act of promoting, propagating, inciting, abetting or attempting such hate speech to cause disharmony.
A designated officer can facilitate the removal of material that may constitute hate crimes from any platform, including electronic platforms, the Bill says.
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Offences under the Bill are cognizable, non-bailable and triable by a Judicial Magistrate of First Class.
The Bill says that in recent years, there have been several cases where hate speech and hate crimes have been disseminated through digital and social media platforms to cause disharmony in society. “The existing legal framework does not comprehensively address the evolving nature and manifestations of hate speech and hate crimes, necessitating a dedicated or robust legislation to effectively prevent, regulate and penalise such conduct, while also ensuring protection and redress to affected persons,” it says.
Nikhila Henry is an Assistant Editor at The Indian Express, based in Hyderabad. With a career spanning 17 years, she has established herself as an authoritative voice on South Indian affairs, specialising in the complex intersections of politics, education, and social justice.
Experience & Career: Nikhila commenced her journalism career in 2007 as an education correspondent for The Times of India in Hyderabad,where she gained recognition for her coverage of student politics. Her professional trajectory includes a four-year tenure at The Hindu, where she focused on minority affairs and social welfare. In 2019, she took on a leadership role as the South Bureau Chief for The Quint, where she directed regional coverage across all five South Indian states. Her expansive career also includes a tenure at the BBC in New Delhi and contributions to prestigious international outlets such as The Sunday Times (London) and HuffPost India.
Expertise & Focus Areas
Nikhila’s reportage is marked by a deep-seated understanding of grassroots movements and institutional policy. Her core focus areas include:
Regional Politics: Comprehensive analysis of the socio-political dynamics across South India.
Education & Student Movements: Chronicling the evolution of Indian academics and the rise of youth activism.
Minority Affairs: Rigorous reporting on the welfare, rights, and challenges facing marginalized communities.
National Beat: Elevating regional stories to national prominence through investigative and on-ground reporting.
Authoritativeness & Trust
A respected figure in Indian media, Nikhila is not only a seasoned reporter but also an accomplished author and editor. She authored the critically acclaimed book The Ferment: Youth Unrest in India and edited Caste is Not a Rumour, a collection of writings by Rohith Vemula. Her dual background in daily news reporting and long-form authorship allows her to provide readers with a nuanced, historically-informed perspective on contemporary Indian society.
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