New Delhi: The Supreme Court has issued directives to district magistrates in Maharashtra’s Yavatmal and Chhattisgrah’s Raipur to take appropriate measures in response to concerns about potential hate speeches at upcoming rallies organised by the Hindu Janajagruti Samiti (HJS) and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) legislator T. Raja Singh.HJS plans to conduct rallies in Yavatmal on January 18 and in Raipur from January 19 to January 25.While the court declined to halt the rallies, it instructed the district magistrates to ensure that no hate speech occurs during these events. The court also suggested the installation of CCTV cameras at the locations to identify perpetrators in case of any “untoward incidents”, LiveLaw reported.The decision came during the hearing of an interlocutory application seeking to deny permission for the rallies. The application included transcripts of alleged hate speeches made by the organisations and Singh in the past.Senior advocate Kapil Sibal, representing applicant Shaheen Abdullah, expressed dissatisfaction with the lack of action against Singh despite previous FIRs. “When the event takes place, we come to this court and an FIR is lodged. But nothing is done. Then he continues with this kind of speeches. What is the point of all this then? See the kind of hatred he is propagating!” Sibal said.While Justice Khanna acknowledged the objectionable nature of the speeches, he stressed upon the court’s reluctance to intervene once the criminal justice process is set in motion.“I went through [the speeches]. Certainly objectionable. [But] this court has already issued directions, including regarding CCTV cameras. As far as processions are concerned…we are not going to stop that. If there’s any hate speech or incitement to violence, we will take action. But we cannot preempt that,” Justice Khanna said.Justice Datta pointed to the principles of natural justice and said that the alleged perpetrators should be parties in the case. “Is he a party? Your request, if granted, will affect someone. Your prayer is to ensure that permission is not granted to X or withdraw permission if already granted? How can we pass this order without this person being a party or hearing them? This goes against the fundamental principles of natural justice,” he said.“This will happen again and again unless your lordships intervene,” Sibal said at the end. However, Justice Khanna said, “We have passed orders. In one case, we had passed orders and it did stop. That is the positive part. Why only look at the negative aspect?” Singh was booked by the Maharashtra Police on January 7 for allegedly making incendiary speeches at a rally in Solapur on January 6. During the rally, he allegedly urged his audience to assault “love jihadis” and boycott products with halal certification, the News Minute reported. It may be noted that ‘love jihad’ is a term Hindutva politicians have coined and used to describe an imaginary conspiracy in which Muslim men supposedly dupe unsuspecting Hindu women into marriage in order to convert them to Islam. He also called for demolition of mosques in contested sites claimed to have formerly housed Hindu places of worship, and suggested that the Maharashtra government provide bulldozers to MLAs and MPs to be used like Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath does, the report said. Singh also was suspended by the BJP in August last year after his comments caused communal tensions in Hyderabad.