New Delhi, Feb. 17 -- The Supreme Court on Tuesday observed that speech reflects the thought process, and that the real challenge in addressing hate speech lies not merely in regulating words, but in correcting and erasing the thoughts that generate them.
A Bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant, Justice B.V. Nagarathna and Justice Joymalya Bagchi made the observation while hearing a PIL filed by one Roop Rekha Verma seeking a declaration that public speeches of constitutional functionaries must not result in the violation of fundamental rights.
Justice Nagarathna said, "Origin of speech is thought. How do you control thought. We must erase those thoughts which goes against the constitutional ethos." Emphasising the need to correct the...