Hyderabad, March 31 -- The Telangana legislative assembly on Monday referred the Telangana Hate Speech and Hate Crimes (Prevention) Bill, 2026, to a select committee after members from across party lines raised objections, sought clarifications and suggested amendments to several provisions of the proposed law.

The bill, which seeks to curb the growing incidence of hate speech and hate crimes in the state, was introduced in the assembly by state backward classes minister Ponnam Prabhakar on behalf of chief minister A Revanth Reddy. The bill seeks to impose stringent punishment, including imprisonment of up to 10 years and a fine of Rs.1 lakh, while classifying such offences as cognisable and non-bailable.

The minister said the bill was ...