The bill seeks to abolish, among others, the controversial practice of ‘Made Snana’, a ritual that involves people rolling over banana leaves with food left over by Brahmins.
The much-awaited Karnataka Prevention and Eradication of Inhuman Evil Practices and Black Magic Bill 2017 was tabled in the state assembly Tuesday. It had to be deferred many times after protests by BJP and a section of religious leaders, who called it ‘anti-Hindu’.
The Karnataka Bill lists 16 practices which are called ‘superstitious’. These include
– Exorcism, black magic, human sacrifice, witchcraft and aghori (tantrik) practices
– Rituals with self-inflicting injury
– Throwing infants from a height onto a bed of thorns
– Parading women naked
– Forcing a person to perform sexual acts in the open
– Preventing a person from taking medical treatment
– Killing animals by biting their neck
– Babinga: The practice of piercing rods from one side of the jaw to the other, including the tongue
Punishment: Any person convicted under this bill shall be liable for punishment with minimum imprisonment of one year and a minimum fine of Rs 5,000.
A similar bill was first passed by the Maharashtra cabinet in December 2013.
The Maharashtra law lists 12 superstitious practices:
– Assaulting a person under the pretext of expelling ghosts
– Forcing a person to perform sexual acts in the open
– Following inhuman, evil and aghori practices
– Prohibiting or preventing a person from taking medical treatment in case of dog, snake or scorpion bite and giving them ‘mantra-tantra’ instead
– Claiming to perform surgery by hand or change the sex of a foetus
– Indulging in sexual activity with a person by claiming that the person was a wife, husband or paramour in the past birth
– Keeping sexual relations with a woman unable to conceive
– Creating the impression that a mentally retarded person has inhuman powers
The list excludes vaastu, astrology, yatras, parikramas performed at religious places, among others.
Punishment: Any person convicted under this act will be punished with minimum imprisonment of 6 months and a minimum fine of Rs 5,000.