Thiruvananthapuram: Citing the difficulty in differentiating between superstitions and religious practices, the Kerala government has scrapped the proposed draft bill against superstitions and religious malpractices. The decision was taken as per the directions of the Kerala CM. A foolproof bill will be put in place after further deliberations.

The thought to bring in the ordinance was expedited following the ‘human sacrifice’ incident in Elanthoor in Pathanamthitta district last year. It should be noted that people had forcibly shut down several centres which practised witchcraft and sorcery post the incident. 

The draft bill was prepared by the law reformation commission chaired by justice K T Thomas. Even the law department had pointed out at the difficulty in differentiating between superstitions and religious practices forcing the Kerala government to scrap the bill for now. 

The bill had covered several crimes including animal sacrifice, inflicting pain on the human body, exorcism, witchcraft and sorcery. The commission had stipulated stringent punishment for the malpractices, which includes 1-7 years of imprisonment and a fine ranging between Rs 5,000 - Rs 50,000. Maharashtra, Rajasthan, and Karnataka are among the states that have earlier passed bills against superstitions.