From Our Special Correspondent

Daijiworld Media Network

Belagavi, Nov 15: The long-delayed and intensely debated Karnataka Prevention and Eradication of Inhuman Evil Practices and Black Magic Bill, 2017, which is better known to the public as anti-superstition bill, has been finally introduced in the State Legislative Assembly on the second day of the winter session at the Suvarna Vidhana Soudha on Tuesday.

Karnataka’s Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister T B Jayachandra tabled the bill amidst dharna by BJP members demanding resignation of Bengaluru Development Minister K G George following CBI filing an FIR against him in the Dy SP M K Ganapathy suicide case.

The tabling of the Bill is being seen as fulfilling the commitment made by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah to rationalists, writers and activists who fought for a ban on superstitious practices.

It may be recalled that the Bill was approved in the State Cabinet meeting held on September 27, 2017.

The bill seeks to ban among other practices the controversial ‘made snana’ ritual of devotees rolling over plantain leaves withleftoversleftoverfood in public, religious places.
However, the bill does not cover regulations for banning astrology and vaastu practice, piercing of ears and nose of children in accordance with certain rituals, and performance of religious rituals such as ‘Keshlochan’ by the Jains.

It proposes to ban evil practices such as killing an animal by biting its neck (gaavu).

The Bill proposed to ban ‘made snana’, which is practised at Kukke Subrahmanya temple in Dakshina Kannada district, in violation of human dignity.

The Bill aimed to protect people against evil and sinister practices and to combat and eradicate inhuman, evil, sinister practices propagated/performed in the name of “supernatural” or black magic.

It also encompasses ban on human sacrifice; coercing a person to perform fire-walk at religious festivals; piercing jaw with rods, baibiga practice; pelting stones in the name of banamathi, mata-mantra; creating panic in the minds of the people by invoking ghost or mantras; claiming to perform surgery with fingers, or claiming to change the sex of foetus in the womb. It also seeks to ban practices against women: forcing them to stay in isolation; subjecting them to inhuman and humiliating practices such as parading them naked in the name of worship (betthale save); and sexual exploitation by invoking supernatural powers.

Following protests from within the government and outside, the government had amended the intended Bill, which originally had provisions for banning superstitious practices, including astrology and animal sacrifice.

The tabling of the Bill was deferred several times following opposition from the BJP and some seers, who described the proposed Bill as “anti-Hindu”.

The Bill proposes appointment of police officers as vigilance officers to monitor violations of the provisions of the law and its rules.

Persons who obstruct the discharge of duties of the vigilance officer would be punished with imprisonment of not less than three months and a fine up to Rs 5,000 or both.