SDPI leader sentenced to six months in Belthangady hate speech case

An Indian court sentenced SDPI national general secretary Riyaz Farangipete to six months of simple imprisonment and a ₹10,000 fine for a hate speech delivered in 2015, raising concerns about communal harmony. The verdict was issued on Tuesday by the Principal Civil Judge and JMFC Court in Belthangady. The court found Farangipete guilty under Section 153A of the Indian Penal Code for an inflammatory speech at a Popular Front of India protest on July 23, 2015. In the speech, he threatened that PFI activists would slaughter cows and sell beef publicly if assaults on Muslims continued, prompting police to file charges after government sanction. In his 33-page judgment, Magistrate Ramalingappa stated the speech had potential to disturb peace among communities, and the offense could not be considered trivial despite no resultant violence. Farangipete was remanded to judicial custody, with a warrant sent to the Prison Department.