Telangana Cabinet Approves Bill To Stop Hate Speech In State
The proposed law aims to check inflammatory speeches, social media posts and acts that incite violence, riots or communal tensions.
Hyderabad: The State Cabinet, chaired by Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy, on Monday approved four Bills aimed at preventing hate speech, ensuring welfare of gig workers, mandating support to parents and protecting legal professionals. The Bills will be introduced in the State Legislature for enactment. The Telangana Hate Speech and Hate Crime Prevention Bill, 2026, seeks to curb speeches and actions that disturb communal harmony.
The proposed law aims to check inflammatory speeches, social media posts and acts that incite violence, riots or communal tensions. The Cabinet, which met at the Committee Hall in the Assembly premises, also cleared the Telangana Platform-Based Gig Workers (Registration, Social Security and Welfare) Act, 2026. The Bill proposes mandatory registration, creation of a welfare board and establishment of a welfare fund for nearly 4.2 lakh gig and platform workers in the state. The Bill seeks to grant legal recognition and social security to gig workers, ensuring protection of their rights. The Bill, which had Cabinet, has now been cleared with minor modifications in line with the Centre’s Social Security Code. To address rising incidents of attacks on legal professionals, the Cabinet approved the Telangana Advocate Protection Bill.
The legislation is intended to ensure safety for advocates, particularly in the wake of past incidents such as the murder of advocate couple Vaman Rao, and aims to provide a secure working environment. The Cabinet also approved a Parents Support Bill mandating that public representatives, as well as government and private employees who neglect their elderly parents, will have 15 per cent of their salary or ₹10,000, whichever is lower, deducted and paid to their parents as support. The Cabinet also decided to expedite the process of taking over the existing 69-km metro rail network in Hyderabad from Larsen & Toubro. A sub-committee has reported that the government would need to pay around ₹15,000 crore, including debt liabilities, to acquire the Phase-1 project. Hyderabad Metro Rail Limited has been entrusted with handling financial transactions and designated as the nodal agency for the takeover. The Cabinet also approved the report of the independent expert committee constituted to study the caste survey conducted in the state. The committee, head ed by retired Justice B. Sudarshan Reddy, examined findings of the social, economic and caste survey carried out between November 6 and December 25, 2024. In another key decision, the Cabinet approved the formation of a ministerial sub-committee under Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka to frame guidelines for the proposed Rohith Vemula Act aimed at preventing caste dis crimination in educational institutions. Ministers Damodar Rajanarasimha, Duddilla Sridhar Babu, N. Uttam Kumar Reddy and Ponnam Prabhakar will be members.