India News | Kerala HC Asks State Govt if It Contemplates Law Against Sorcery, Black Magic
Get latest articles and stories on India at LatestLY. The Kerala High Court has sought the state government's stand regarding its earlier submission that it was contemplating legislation against evil practices like black magic and sorcery.
Kochi, Jun 20 (PTI) The Kerala High Court has sought the state government's stand regarding its earlier submission that it was contemplating legislation against evil practices like black magic and sorcery.
The Kerala government had filed a submission in October 2022 while hearing a plea by an organisation called Kerala Yukthivadi Sangham, which had sought the enactment of a law against such practices.
The petition was dismissed in June 2023 due to no one representing the petitioner organisation, but was later restored.
When the matter came up for hearing before a division bench of Chief Justice Nitin Jamdar and Justice Basant Balaji on June 3, the court directed the government to file an affidavit regarding the state's stand in respect of its earlier position that it was contemplating to enact a law on the subject.
The bench posted the matter on June 24.
The organisation, in its plea, has stated that the Law Reforms Commission, headed by Justice (retired) K T Thomas, had submitted a comprehensive report to the State of Kerala in the year 2019, with legislative recommendations based on new social conditions.
"The Kerala Prevention and Eradication of Inhuman Evil Practices, Sorcery and Black Magic Bill-2019, is one of the recommended statutes. But so far, no attempt has been made on the part of the state on the matter," the organisation has claimed.
The plea was filed in 2022 in the wake of a ritual human sacrifice of two women in the Pathanamthitta district of Kerala by three people, including a couple.
The petition has claimed that laws against sorcery and black magic have been passed by the states of Maharashtra and Karnataka.
It has also sought a declaration that "films on big screens and OTT platforms, and several serials and other telefilms, aired on television channels and YouTube, having content of superstitious beliefs, including sorcery and occult practices, exempting those having good intentions and having good artistic values, are illegal".
(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)