Kerala to bring in Anti-Superstition Bill; draft bill submitted
Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala, which recently witnessed an alarming spurt in the number of black magic cases, is gearing up to bring in a legislation to curb "inhuman" practices and exploitation in the name of superstition.
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.
On the lines of the Anti-Superstition and Black Magic Bill, passed by Maharashtra and Karnataka, the state-run Kerala Law Reforms Commission has drafted the bill to fight superstition and eradicate "inhuman evil" practices propagated in the name of black magic.
The draft bill, accessed by PTI, proposes stringent punishment for any kind of evil practice and cheating in the name of black magic, ranging from "expelling ghost" to isolating women for menstruation and postpartum.
It also aims at raising social awareness in the society with a view to protect people against fraudulent and exploitative practices thriving on ignorance.
The legislative assemblies of Karnataka and Maharashtra had passed the Anti-Superstition Black Magic Bill in 2017 and 2013, respectively.
"The draft bill is completed and we have submitted it to the state government," K Sasidharan Nair, Vice Chairman, Kerala Law Reforms Commission, told PTI.
"Unlike the bills passed by Maharashtra and Karnataka, we have given special thrust to a series of intense awareness programmes in our bill for the government to implement. Because, superstition seems to be so deep-rooted in the minds of Keralite people nowadays," he said.
"While going through many instances of superstition, I feel whether we deserve to be called a civilised society? Only a few cases are reported in the media," Nair, also a former law secretary, said.
He said a legislation and stringent punishment alone cannot make any changes in the mindset of the people.
"As it is a very sensitive topic, we have drafted the bill very carefully. I personally feel that public opinion should be garnered before it is enacted as law by the government," the vice-chairperson added.
According to the draft bill, no person shall by himself or through any other person, promote, propagate or practice, black magic or sorcery.
The offences punishable under this Act shall be "cognisable and non-bailable," it said.
Whoever commits any act in violation, shall on conviction, be sentenced for a term which shall not be less than one year and may extend to seven years and with a fine of Rs 5000 to Rs 50,000, it said.
Incase of a death of a person, the accused shall be deemed to have committed an offence under Section 300 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), and shall be punished accordingly, the draft bill added.
Further, it said performing any "inhuman" evil act, black magic or sorcery, parading naked or putting a ban on a person's daily activity or using such alleged practice to extort, threaten or assault a person in search of precious things, are punishable offences.
However, the draft bill clearly states that it would not be applicable to any form of worshipper formed at any religious or spiritual places and the performance of religious rituals at home, temple, church, mosque or other religious places, which do not cause physical harm to any person.
All religious celebration, festivals, prayers and processions and the advice with regard to 'vasthusastra' or advice by astrologers (unless such advice results in cheating, defrauding or exploiting any person) are also exempted, it said.
The Anti-Superstition and Black Magic draft Bill assumes significance in Kerala, which is known for its high literacy rate and progressive outlook, in view of a number of shocking incidents and sinister practises in the name of black magic in the recent days.
The death of a 27-year-old woman, from Karunagapally, allegedly due to starvation enforced by her husband and mother-in-law for dowry, had caused widespread public outrage in the state this April.
There were allegations that her in-laws had performed black magic on the woman and she was denied proper food for days and survived only on soaked rice and sugar syrup al on the instruction of a black magician.
In another incident, bodies of a man and three other members of his family were found stacked one over the other and buried in a pit in the backyard of their house in Kerala's Idukki district in August last year.
Police said the man had been practising witchcraft for the past several years and collecting money from local people promising to bring them luck and rid them of evil effects.
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India needs steady hand at the wheel but has 'compromised PM': Rahul
New Delhi (PTI): A day after a US submarine torpedoed and sank an Iranian warship in international waters off Sri Lanka's coast, the Congress on Thursday questioned the government's silence with Rahul Gandhi saying that while the country needed a steady hand at the wheel, it has a "compromised PM who has surrendered our strategic autonomy".
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said the Modi government's "reckless abdication" of India's strategic and national interests is there for all to see.
"An Iranian ship, a guest of India was returning, unarmed from the International Fleet Review 2026, hosted by us, and was torpedoed in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR). No statement of concern or condolence. PM Modi remains mute," Kharge said on X.
"Why lecture us on the doctrines of MAHASAGAR and India being a 'Net Security Provider' in the IOR, when you can’t react on what is happening in your own backyard? As many as 38 Indian Flag commercial ships along with 1100 sailors are stuck in Gulf of Hormuz," he said.
"Indian sailors, including Captain Ashish Kumar have reportedly died. Why is there no maritime rescue or relief operation in place? You say only 25 days of crude and oil stocks left. With rising oil prices, what is our energy contingency plan, especially in the wake of GOI virtually accepting the demand to stop import of Russian oil? What about the trade of other key commodities with the gulf countries?" the Congress chief said.
As per MEA statement on March 3, "some Indian nationals have lost their lives or are missing", he said.
"There are one crore Indians in the gulf region countries. Medical students are releasing desperate video messages seeking help. How is the GOI securing their well-being? Is there any evacuation plan in place from the affected areas?" Kharge said.
"Clearly, Modi Ji's SURRENDER is both political and moral! It demeans India’s core national interests and destroys our foreign policy carefully and painstakingly built and followed by successive governments over the years!" Kharge said.
Gandhi said the world has entered a volatile phase and "stormy seas lie ahead"
"India's oil supplies are under threat, with more than 40% of our imports transiting the Strait of Hormuz. The situation is even worse for LPG and LNG," he said on X.
"The conflict has reached our backyard, with an Iranian warship sunk in the Indian Ocean. Yet the Prime Minister has said nothing," Gandhi said.
At a moment like this, India needs a steady hand at the wheel, he said.
"Instead, India has a compromised PM who has surrendered our strategic autonomy," Gandhi alleged.
Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh also said maybe it should not be surprising since the Modi government has still not broken its silence over the targeted assassinations in Iran.
In a significant escalation of the West Asia crisis, a US submarine on Wednesday torpedoed and sank an Iranian warship in international waters off Sri Lanka's coast when it was returning after participating in the Milan naval exercise, a multilateral wargame hosted by India.
In a post on X, Ramesh said the Indian Navy's flagship multilateral exercise, MILAN, was first held in 1995 and the 13th edition was held in Visakhapatnam from February 19 to February 25, 2026 with 18 warships from other countries, including the USA and Iran participating.
The exercise was inaugurated by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Ramesh pointed out.
"This makes yesterday's sinking of the Iranian warship that took part in the Milan exercise by a US Navy submarine in the Indian Ocean some 40 nautical miles south of Galle in Sri Lanka all the more extraordinary. The Iranian warship was on its way back home," he said.
This US action has enormous implications for India as well and it is shocking that there has been no official response to it till now, Ramesh said.
"Maybe it should not be surprising since the Modi government has still not broken its silence over the targeted assassinations in Iran. Never before has the Indian government looked so timid and fearful," the Congress leader said.
US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, confirming the strike, said at a Pentagon media briefing that it was the first sinking of an enemy warship by a torpedo since World War II.
The Associated Press, quoting the Sri Lankan Navy, reported that 87 bodies were recovered and that 32 people were rescued following the sinking of the warship IRIS Dena.
The incident marks a major escalation of the conflict between the US and Iran outside of the Persian Gulf and throws up questions relating to maritime security in the Indian Ocean that is largely considered as the backyard of the Indian Navy.
The US and Israel launched military strikes on Iran on February 28, killing Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Following the military offensive, Iran has carried out a wave of attacks mainly targeting Israel and American military bases in several Gulf countries, including the UAE, Bahrain, Kuwait, Jordan and Saudi Arabia.
In the last few days, the conflict has widened significantly with attacks and counter-attacks by both sides.
India has called for resolving the conflict through dialogue and diplomacy.
