Supreme Court advocate hurts religious sentiments of Hindus by criticising the Hindu religious gathering of Maha Kumbh
India 
25 February, 2025
Case Summary
Supreme Court senior advocate Sanjay Hegde has cast doubt on the Uttar Pradesh government's reported figures of devotees taking the holy dip at the Maha Kumbh, suggesting that the numbers "do not add up." He went further to criticise the massive Hindu religious gathering, describing it as a form of frenzy. “These numbers do not add up. However, there is no doubt that vast numbers have attended. There has been a kind of frenzy of virtue displayed by all kinds of people—a brilliant exercise in social engineering that will influence politics for years to come. The Ganesh milk-drinking episode, and the thali banging during COVID, all reflect the same Indian instinct for mass action and collective affirmation. People do not want to use individual, rational judgment at all. This collective baptism by bacteria has probably settled the BJP’s line of succession,” Hegde wrote on X. He was responding to a media report stating that 62 crore devotees had taken the holy dip at the Maha Kumbh so far—roughly half the global Hindu population. Additionally, he suggested that the event was a form of social engineering orchestrated by the BJP to strengthen its political influence.
Why it is Hate Crime ?
This case has been added to the tracker under the category of- Hate speech against Hindus. Within this, the sub-category selected is- Anti-Hindu slurs, mocking faith. Anti-Hindu slurs and the deliberate mocking of the Hindu faith owing to religious animosity involve the usage of derogatory terms, stereotypes, or offensive references to religious practices, symbols, or figures. One of the common anti-Hindu slurs used against Hindus is “cow-worshipper” and “cow piss drinker”. The intention of using this term is to demean and mock Hindus as a group and their religious beliefs since Hindus consider the cow holy. Additionally, some symbols and the slurs attached to them have a historical context that exacerbates the insult, hate, stereotyping, dehumanisation and oppression against Hindus. Cow worship has been used for centuries to denigrate Hindus, insult their faith and oppress Hindus specifically as a religious group. There has been overwhelming documentation about how cow slaughter has been used to persecute Hindus with cow meat being thrown in temples and places of worship. There has also been overwhelming documentation where cow meat (beef) has been force-fed to Hindus to either forcefully convert them to Islam or denigrate their faith. Apart from cow worship, the Swastika – which holds deep religious significance for the Hindus – has also been misinterpreted and distorted to use as a slur against Hindus. Similarly, the worship of the Shivling has been used by supremacist ideologies and religions to denigrate Hindus owing to religious animosity. Such slurs and denigration stem out of inherent animosity and hate towards Hindus and their faith, therefore, it is categorised as hate speech targeted at Hindus specifically owing to their religious identity. Hegde’s remarks not only undermine the significance of the Maha Kumbh, one of the most sacred Hindu gatherings but also belittle the devotion of millions of Hindus by dismissing their religious participation as a “frenzy” and equating it to irrational mass behaviour. His comparison of the spiritual practice of taking a holy dip to a "collective baptism by bacteria" is a direct insult to Hindu traditions, mocking a deeply held religious belief that has been practised for centuries. Furthermore, by framing the Maha Kumbh as a tool of political social engineering, Hegde disregards its profound spiritual and cultural importance, reducing a sacred Hindu festival to a mere political spectacle. His comments reflect a broader pattern of Hindu religious practices being derided and ridiculed, reinforcing the systemic bias and hostility often displayed towards Hindu faith and traditions. Given the clear intent to demean and mock Hindu beliefs, this case has been included in the tracker under the above-mentioned category and sub-category.
Case Status
Unknown
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
State and Establishment
Perpetrators Range
One Person
Perpetrators Gender
male
Sources 
