UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — SC agrees to hear plea against Assam CM’s ‘hate speeches’
Q1. As per the directions of the Supreme Court in Tehseen S. Poonawalla v. Union of India (2018) — which the petitioners before the SC in February 2026 have invoked — the 'Nodal Officer' tasked in every district with preventing and registering cases of hate speech and mob violence must be a police officer of which one of the following minimum ranks?
- A. Station House Officer (SHO)
- B. Deputy Superintendent of Police
- C. Superintendent of Police
- D. Director General of Police
Q2. Which one of the following is the landmark Supreme Court judgment that, for the first time, directed all States and Union Territories to register suo motu FIRs in cases of hate speech, even in the absence of a complaint?
- A. Pravasi Bhalai Sangathan v. Union of India (2014)
- B. Tehseen S. Poonawalla v. Union of India (2018)
- C. Amish Devgan v. Union of India (2020)
- D. Shaheen Abdulla v. Union of India (2022)
Q3. With reference to the offence of 'promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race, language, etc.' under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023 — under which the CPI(M) has sought registration of an FIR against the Assam Chief Minister — consider the following statements:
1. Section 196 of the BNS, 2023 substantially retains the substantive offence earlier contained in Section 153A of the Indian Penal Code, 1860.
2. Under Section 196 of the BNS, if the offence is committed in a place of worship, the maximum punishment of imprisonment is enhanced to five years along with fine.
3. The Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023 came into force on 1 July 2024 and on that date repealed and replaced the Indian Penal Code, 1860.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
- Section 196 of the BNS, 2023 substantially retains the substantive offence earlier contained in Section 153A of the Indian Penal Code, 1860.
- Under Section 196 of the BNS, if the offence is committed in a place of worship, the maximum punishment of imprisonment is enhanced to five years along with fine.
- The Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023 came into force on 1 July 2024 and on that date repealed and replaced the Indian Penal Code, 1860.
- A. 1 and 2 only
- B. 1 and 3 only
- C. 2 and 3 only
- D. 1, 2 and 3
Q4. Article 19(2) of the Constitution — under which restrictions on hate speech are imposed — uses a specific ground that is most directly invoked in cases of communally inciting speech such as those alleged against the Assam CM. Which one of the following best describes this ground as interpreted by the Supreme Court?
- A. 'Sovereignty and integrity of India' — meaning any speech that questions the territorial unity of the nation
- B. 'Public order' — meaning a state of tranquillity of the community as a whole, disturbance of which is broader than mere law and order but narrower than security of the State
- C. 'Decency or morality' — meaning any speech that offends the prevailing moral standards of any religious community
- D. 'Contempt of court' — meaning any speech that interferes with the administration of justice by judicial bodies
Q5. The Supreme Court's ruling that there is 'no legislative vacuum' on hate speech and that the existing penal framework is adequate — a ruling that forms the doctrinal backdrop to the February 2026 petitions against the Assam CM — was delivered in 2026 by a Bench presided over by which one of the following?
- A. Justice D.Y. Chandrachud
- B. Justice Vikram Nath
- C. Justice Sanjiv Khanna
- D. Justice B.R. Gavai