Bengaluru: The State Cabinet on Wednesday cleared the much-delayed and debated Karnataka Prevention and Eradication of Human Sacrifices and other Inhuman Evil and Aghori Practices and Black Magic Bill, 2017, popularly known as the Anti-Superstition Bill.
The Bill has proposed to ban made snana (rolling over banana leaves with food left over by Brahmins) at Kukke Subrahmanya temple in Dakshina Kannada district. However, it has not banned astrology or vaastu.
Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister T.B. Jayachandra said, “The issue of either banning or regulating vaastu and astrology was discussed, but no decision was taken.”
The Bill would be tabled in the next session of the legislature, he told presspersons after the Cabinet meeting.
The Bill has been drafted on the lines of the Maharashtra Prevention and Eradication of Human Sacrifices and Other Inhuman, Evil and Aghori Practices and Black Magic Act, 2013. It has provisions to deal strongly with cruel practices, such as human sacrifice, witchcraft, exorcism, parading women in the naked, and sexual exploitation by invoking supernatural powers.
The Cabinet cleared the Bill after it was scrutinised by the committee of the Law Department. The committee had suggested some cosmetic changes and there was “nothing in the draft that would come in the way of religious sentiments.”
What is banned:
Facilitating any person or persons roll over (uruli seve) on the leaves of leftover food by other persons in any public or religious places or similar practices that violate human dignity, also known as made snana
Cercing any person to perform fire-walk at the time of jatras/religious festivals, causing physical injury
Practice of piercing from rods from one side of jaw to another side of the jaw and including the tongue (baibiga practice)
Pelting stones in the name of banamathi, mata-mantra and mata-mantra on the residential houses during night or day
Prohibiting and preventing a person from taking medical treatment in the case of dog, snake, or scorpion bite, and instead giving him ‘treatment’ like mata-mantra, gandra-dora of such other things
Forcing person to carry on evil practices such as killing of an animal by biting its neck (gaavu), that cause harm to public health nuisance
Performing any inhuman, evil act and black magic in search of precious things, bounty and hidden treasure in the name of banamathi, mata-mantra, assaulting any person, parading naked or put a ban on his daily activities or instigate advise or encourage committing such inhuman acts
To create an impression by declaring that a power inapprehensible by senses has influenced one’s body or that a person has possessed such power thereby create fear in the minds of people or to threaten others of evil consequences for not following the advice of such person or deceive defraud and deter them
Under the pretext of expelling the ghost, assaulting by tying the person with rope or chain, beating by stick or whip to make the person drink footwear soaked water, causing pain by way of touching heated object to organs or body of a person, forcing a person to perform sexual act in the open, practice inhuman acts, putting urine or human excreta forcibly in the mouth of a person or practice any such acts
Creating panic in the minds of public in general by way of invoking ghost or mantras
Preventing person taking medical treatment and diverting him or her to practice inhuman evil and aghory acts
Claiming to perform surgery by fingers or claiming to change the sex of a foetus in womb of a woman
Persuading, propagating or facilitating rituals that involve self-inflicted injuries such as hanging from a hook: inserted into the body (sidi) or pulling a chariot by hook inserted into the body
Persuading, propagating or facilitating rituals involving harm inflicted on children in the name of curing them, such as throwing them on thorns or from heights and branding them with heated objects
Practising evil practices against women by forcing isolation, prohibiting re-entry into the village or facilitating segregation of menstruating, or pregnant women; and subjecting women to inhuman and humiliating practices such as parading them naked in the name of worship, or “betthale seve”
