Hyderabad, June 19 -- Samajwadi Party (SP) Maharashtra president and MLA Abu Asim Azmi submitted a private member bill under the name "The Prevention of Hatred and Insult to Religion Act, 2025" to the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly principal secretary on June 17.

The SP-powered legislation seeks to address the growing number of cases of hate speech that denigrate communities and harm religious sentiments, especially on social media platforms. The legislation has been proposed amidst a wave of hate crimes and hate speech against Muslims across Maharashtra.

The draft of the bill, as it stands, prescribes strict punishment for individuals found in violation of the law. Those convicted under the proposed law would face sentences ranging a...