Anti-superstition bill referred to Cabinet sub-committee

The state Cabinet on Wednesday bought more time for bringing its proposed anti-superstition bill into effect.

The Cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah referred the Karnataka Prevention and Eradication of Human Sacrifices and other Inhuman Evil and Aghori Practices and Black Magic Bill, 2016 to a sub-committee headed by Revenue Minister Kagodu Thimmappa.

The Cabinet, at its previous meeting on July 8, had deferred its approval for the bill as some ministers, including Thimmappa, had failed to see any merit in enacting such legislation.

The bill proposes to ban 23 practices including human torture in the name of rituals and display of “miracles” to earn money.

According to sources, when the issue was taken up for discussion, a few ministers felt the contents of the bill needed one more round of scrutiny. They wondered whether it was practical to ban practices like fire walking. The ritual is practised in several places after temple festivals in the state.

It is now unlikely that the bill will be tabled in the current session of the state legislature. The sub-committee has not been given any time frame to submit its report. Besides Thimmappa, the panel will comprise ministers K R Ramesh Kumar, T B Jayachandra, Ramanath Rai and H Anjaneya.

It has been three years since the state government first proposed the anti-superstition bill. It has been repeatedly facing opposition from various quarters since then.

 The Cabinet also gave its approval for implementation of the quality assurance initiative programme in the health and family welfare department at a cost of Rs 15 crore.