Source: news18<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Thiruvananthapuram:<\/strong> Kerala, which recently witnessed\n an alarming spurt in the number of black magic cases, is gearing up to \nbring in a legislation to curb “inhuman” practices and exploitation in \nthe name of superstition.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Kerala Prevention and Eradication of Inhuman Evil Practices, Sorcery and Black Magic Bill, 2019 has been submitted to the CPI(M)-led LDF government for its consideration to pass as legislation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n On the lines of the Anti-Superstition and Black Magic Bill, passed by\n Maharashtra and Karnataka, the state-run Kerala Law Reforms Commission \nhas drafted the bill to fight superstition and eradicate “inhuman evil” \npractices propagated in the name of black magic.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n The draft bill, accessed by PTI, proposes stringent punishment \nfor any kind of evil practice and cheating in the name of black magic, \nranging from “expelling ghost” to isolating women for menstruation and \npostpartum.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n It also aims at raising social awareness in the society with a \nview to protect people against fraudulent and exploitative practices \nthriving on ignorance.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n The legislative assemblies of Karnataka and Maharashtra had \npassed the Anti-Superstition Black Magic Bill in 2017 and 2013, \nrespectively.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n “The draft bill is completed and we have submitted it to the \nstate government,” K Sasidharan Nair, Vice Chairman, Kerala Law Reforms \nCommission, told PTI.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n “Unlike the bills passed by Maharashtra and Karnataka, we have \ngiven special thrust to a series of intense awareness programmes in our \nbill for the government to implement. Because, superstition seems to be \nso deep-rooted in the minds of Keralite people nowadays,” he said.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n “While going through many instances of superstition, I feel \nwhether we deserve to be called a civilised society? Only a few cases \nare reported in the media,” Nair, also a former law secretary, said.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n He said a legislation and stringent punishment alone cannot make any changes in the mindset of the people.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n “As it is a very sensitive topic, we have drafted the bill very \ncarefully. I personally feel that public opinion should be garnered \nbefore it is enacted as law by the \n<\/p>\n\n\n\n government,” the vice-chairperson added.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n According to the draft bill, no person shall by himself or \nthrough any other person, promote, propagate or practice, black magic or\n sorcery.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n The offences punishable under this Act shall be “cognisable and non-bailable,” it said.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n Whoever commits any act in violation, shall on conviction, be \nsentenced for a term which shall not be less than one year and may \nextend to seven years and with a fine of Rs 5000 to Rs 50,000, it said.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n Incase of a death of a person, the accused shall be deemed to \nhave committed an offence under Section 300 of the Indian Penal Code \n(IPC), and shall be punished accordingly, the draft bill added.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n Further, it said performing any “inhuman” evil act, black magic \nor sorcery, parading naked or putting a ban on a person’s daily activity\n or using such alleged practice to extort, threaten or assault a person \nin search of precious things, are punishable offences.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n However, the draft bill clearly states that it would not be \napplicable to any form of worshipper formed at any religious or \nspiritual places and the performance of religious rituals at home, \ntemple, church, mosque or other religious places, which do not cause \nphysical harm to any person.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n All religious celebration, festivals, prayers and processions and\n the advice with regard to ‘vasthusastra’ or advice by astrologers \n(unless such advice results in cheating, defrauding or exploiting any \nperson) are also exempted, it said.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Anti-Superstition and Black Magic draft Bill assumes \nsignificance in Kerala, which is known for its high literacy rate and \nprogressive outlook, in view of a number of shocking incidents and \nsinister practises in the name of black magic in the recent days.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n The death of a 27-year-old woman, from Karunagapally, allegedly \ndue to starvation enforced by her husband and mother-in-law for dowry, \nhad caused widespread public outrage in the state this April. \n<\/p>\n\n\n\n There were allegations that her in-laws had performed black magic\n on the woman and she was denied proper food for days and survived only \non soaked rice and sugar syrup al on the instruction of a black \nmagician.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n In another incident, bodies of a man and three other members of \nhis family were found stacked one over the other and buried in a pit in \nthe backyard of their house in Kerala’s Idukki district in August last \nyear.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n Police said the man had been practising witchcraft for the past \nseveral years and collecting money from local people promising to bring \nthem luck and rid them of evil effects. <\/p>\n