Kerala government's delay tactics in law against sorcery alleged

Thiruvananthapuram: In an alleged move to inordinately delay the proposed law to curb superstitions and sorcery, the CPM-led Left Democratic Front government constituted a fresh panel to frame draft law even as a set of draft laws are already available with the government.

With no timeframe being prescribed for the fresh panel, rationalists strongly believe that it was yet another ploy of the Pinarayi Vijayan government to indefinitely delay the law.

Kerala witnessed a series of sorcery and superstition related crimes and the state government itself informed the Kerala High Court that 38 such cases were registered in the last five years alone.

Objection from religious lobbies is learnt to be the key obstacle that the government faces. The state government in June informed the Kerala High Court that the state cabinet took a policy decision not to enact a law to ban black magic. But the decision had to be revoked owing to strong criticism against the left-front government's stand.

Kerala Yuktivadi Sangham (rationalists' forum) leader T K Sathidharan said that the government's attempt to inordinately delay the legislation by forming a new panel would be brought to the notice of the Kerala High Court, which is considering the matter.

He also said that all the mainstream political parties were succumbing to pressure from vested interest groups. "It was opposition leader V D Satheesan of the Congress who inaugurated a demonstration staged by astrologers against the proposed legislation," he told DH.

Government sources said that the new panel was formed as per legal opinion. The proposed law should not be hurting religious sentiments and hence being re-drafted, said an official.

The draft bills that were already under government's consideration include the one prepared by former Supreme Court judge Justice K T Thomas. It provided for imprisonment up to seven years for acts of superstitions that cause bodily injuries. 

The new panel formed by the government comprises of former law secretary Sasidharan Nair, former state police chief Jacob Punnoose and Kerala State Waqf Board chairman M K Sakeer.