Guwahati : Assam might set up a special court for the trial of cases related to witch-hunting, a social evil in some parts of the state that has claimed the lives of 82 people in the past five years.
A draft bill prepared by the state home department proposes punishment ranging between three years to life imprisonment for those found guilty of branding someone a witch and abetting suicide, apart from setting up a special court and taking care of such victims.
The Prevention of and Protection from Witch Hunting Bill, 2015 that is likely to be tabled in the next session of the assembly, proposes jail terms between three to seven years for those performing witchcraft or any other superstitious practices with intention to harm others.
“The special court will conduct the trial of witch-hunting cases, offences of which will be cognizable, non-bailable and non-compoundable. The fines realized as punishment for an offence under the act shall be paid to victims as compensation,” said the draft bill.
The draft was prepared after a Public Interest Litigation was filed in the Gauhati High Court by lawyer Rajib Kalita in 2013.
It sought a law to prevent witch-hunting, strict punishment for those involved in such crimes and assistance and rehabilitation of victims.
Police have registered 98 cases since 2009, particularly in the rural areas of Assam where people, mostly women, were held responsible for any malaise or illness of others and branded as a witch.
NGOs and civil society groups have been demanding a strict law to deal with witch-hunting as 17 of the 27 districts have reported such crimes.
Some victims committed suicide after being ostracized by villages or communities.
Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha and Maharashtra are among the few states having similar laws to tackle witch-hunting.
The draft bill also proposes punishment for a public servant wilfully refusing to register a case or neglecting the investigation or trying to withhold facts and evidence with the intention to minimise the gravity of the offences. Such public servants will face the charge of abetment.