The Supreme Court made it clear that the “creation of criminal offences and the prescription of punishments lies squarely within the legislative domain”. (Files/Express Photo) The Supreme Court said on Wednesday that issues related to hate speech affect fraternity and constitutional order, even as it held that the criminal law has adequate provisions to deal with such offences and left it to Parliament to decide if any changes are necessary. The remarks by a bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta were made on a clutch of petitions seeking the court’s intervention in a series of alleged hate speeches. “The contention that the field of hate speech remains legislatively unoccupied is misconceived. The existing framework of substantive criminal law, including the provisions of the IPC and allied legislation, adequately addresses acts that promote enmity, outrage religious sentiments, or disturb public tranquillity. The field is therefore not unoccupied,” the bench said.…