New Delhi: A two-judge bench of the Supreme Court on Wednesday (August 2) urged government authorities in the National Capital Region (NCR) to prevent incidents of hate speech and violence following the communal violence in Haryana’s Nuh district.In a special sitting on Wednesday afternoon, the bench comprising Justices Sanjiv Khanna and S.V. Bhatti heard an interlocutory application seeking directions from the Supreme Court to stop rallies planned by the Hindu nationalist organisation Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) and its youth wing, the Bajrang Dal.According to LiveLaw, senior counsel for the petitioner Chander Uday Singh said the VHP and Bajrang Dal planned to hold rallies in the NCR to protest the violence in Nuh and neighbouring districts.“Given the fact that the situation in Nuh and Gurgaon continues to be extremely tense and even the slightest provocation could result in serious loss of life and damage to property, rallies that are likely to fan communal fires and incite people to resort to violence ought to not be permitted,” the application, moved by Shaheen Abudllah, read.The bench did not prohibit the rallies but asked authorities to prevent untoward instances.“We hope and trust that the state governments, including the police authorities, will ensure that there [is no hate speech] against any community and there is no violence or damage to properties. Wherever required, adequate police force or paramilitary forces will be deployed,” the bench’s order read according to LiveLaw.It continued: “Further, authorities including the police will make use of the CCTV cameras where installed or make video recordings in all sensitive areas wherever required. The CCTV footage and the videos will be preserved.”Also Read: In Photos: From Vehicles to a Police Station, Nuh Looks Deserted, Burnt After ViolenceCommunal violence in Haryana’s Nuh district began when a religious procession carried out by the VHP and Bajrang Dal clashed with a group of men. At least five people died and over 150 vehicles were torched as the violence escalated.LiveLaw reported that standing counsels for the Delhi, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh state governments will receive copies of the bench’s order, as Delhi and parts of Haryana and UP that are close to it make up most of the NCR.Justices Khanna and Bhatti noted that police across the country have a duty to file suo motu (on their own initiative) FIRs in hate speech cases due to past orders by the apex court.“We have to ensure that rule of law is maintained. This cannot be treated as an adversarial litigation. The law and order is basically a policing issue which must be taken care of,” LiveLaw quoted Justice Khanna as saying.He also said that there “cannot be any quarrel on the proposition that hate speeches [sic] do not vitiate the atmosphere”.Nuh Cyber Police Station, after a mob torched it and set vehicles on fire. Photo: Atul Ashok Howale.Senior counsel Singh told the bench that at the time of the hearing, some rallies had already taken place and involved instances of hate speech, the Indian Express reported.When Singh said that a mahapanchayat was scheduled to take place in Haryana at 4 pm on Wednesday, Justice Khanna did not disallow it from taking place.“Let it be, as long as there is no hate speech, no violence whether destruction of property or violence against individuals,” he said according to LiveLaw.Considering the urgency of hearing the interlocutory application, Chief Justice of India D.Y. Chandrachud paused discussions in a constitution bench case he was involved in on Wednesday in order to form the bench comprising Justices Khanna and Bhatti, NDTV reported.The constitution bench – of which Justice Khanna was also a member – was holding discussions on the controversial abrogation of Article 370. It resumed its discussion at 2:20 pm on Wednesday, five minutes after the two-judge bench concluded its hearing.