Anti-Black Magic Act soon: Minister

Social Justice minister Shivajirao Moghe had assured the members of Maharashtra Andhashraddha Nirmulan Samiti...

Social Justice minister Shivajirao Moghe had assured the members of Maharashtra Andhashraddha Nirmulan Samiti,led by president Narendra Dabholkar,that an Anti-Black Magic Act would be enacted soon.

The Supreme Court had recently refused to entertain a plea seeking strict implementation of domestic laws against witch-hunt that has resulted in the deaths of over 2,500 women in the last 15 years.

A bench of Chief Justice K.G. Balakrishnan,Justice Deepak Verma and Justice T.S. Thakur refused to entertain the lawsuit,asking the petitioner to approach the high courts of various states affected by social campaigns against alleged practices of black magic and witchcraft.

The lawsuit was filed on behalf of nearly 1,000 rural women branded as witches by a civil society group ‘Rural Litigation and Entitlement Kendra, accredited with the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations. Appearing for the civil society group,counsel Meenakshi Arora sought enforcement of various domestic laws banning the practice of black magic and witchcraft.

Click here to join Express Pune WhatsApp channel and get a curated list of our stories