SC concerned by continuance of derogatory witch-hunting practice

The
Sup eme
Cou t
of
I dia

NEW
DELHI:
Mo e
tha
75
yea s
of
the
Co stitutio
comi g
i to
fo ce,
the
de ogato y
p actice
of
witch-hu ti g
that
ta gets
defe celess
wome
due
to
p ejudice,
suspicio ,
supe stitio
a d
i atio al
fea ,
co ti ues
i
the
cou t y,
the
Sup eme
Cou t
lame ted
while
upholdi g
life
te m
fo
two
who
mu de ed
a
woma
i
a
t ibal
village
of
Odisha
i
Feb
1998.A
be ch
of
Justices
P asha t
Kuma
Mish a
a d
N
V
A ja ia
said
the
facets
of
the
case
had
a
distu bi g
impact
o
the
cou t
as
a
defe celess
woma
was
b a ded
a
p actitio e
of
witchc aft
a d
was
b utally
assaulted
i
f o t
of
he
daughte .
“What
effect
it
must
have
had
o
the
daughte
of
the
deceased
who
had
to
wit ess
he
mothe
bei g
killed
i
the
most
b utal
way,”
the
be ch
wo de ed.W iti g
the
judgme t,
Justice
Mish a
said
the
malady
of
with-hu ti g
co ti ues
to
plague
sectio s
of
ou
society,
whe e
p ejudice,
supe stitio ,
a d
i atio al
dea
supe sede
the
ule
of
law
a d
co stitutio al
mo ality.“The
b utality
associated
with
witch-hu ti g
exte ds
fa
beyo d
the
act
of
killi g;
whe e
victims
mostly
wome
a e
subjected
to
to tu e,
beati gs,
sexual
viole ce
a d
social
ost acizatio .
I
such
a
situatio ,
supe stitious
beliefs
o
fea s
a e
give
p ecede ce
leadi g
to
vul e able
wome
becomi g
victims
of
collective
hostility,”
he
said.IN
Feb
1998,
i
the
emote
village
of
t ibal
i habited
Su de ga h
dist ict,
o e
Ma obodha
Naik’s
daughte
died,
a d
family
membe s
claimed
that
she
died
because
of
witchc aft
p actice
of
o e
Pu i
Naik.

Hea i g
this
Udai
O am
d agged
Pu i
Naik
to
Naik’s
house
a d
with
his
associate,
me cilessly
assaulted
he
with
sticks
leadi g
to
he
death.
The
t ial
cou t
had
co victed
the
duo
i
2002,
but
the
O issa
HC
took
two
decades
to
uphold
the
co victio
a d
life
se te ce.

Justices
Mish a
a d
A ja ia
said,
“Sometimes
i
the
most
difficult
situatio s,
it
ofte
becomes
a
easy
escape
to
blame
a
woma
fo
the
acts
she
did
ot
commit,
thus
eflecti g
a
deeply
ooted
social
p ejudice
that
ofte
seeks
scapegoats
athe
tha
solutio s.
I
such
situatio s,
what
ca
be
give
a
asce de cy
is
‘ easo ’
fo
easo
is
the
o ly
vi tue
that
sta ds
as
a
bulwa k
agai st
collective
i atio ality.”SC
said
the
Co stitutio
gua a tees
equality,
p omotes
f ate ity
a d
e visages
citize s
to
adopt
scie tific
tempe ame t
to
id
the
society
of
de ogato y
p actices
agai st
wome .
“Despite
this,
p actices
such
as
witch-hu ti g
co ti ue
to
pe sist
withi
a
few
sectio s
of
ou
society.
A
Co stitutio al
democ acy
such
as
ou s
ca ot
su vive;
whe ei
such
de ogato y
p actices
co ti ue
to
elude
the
p i ciples
of
ule
of
law
a d
Co stitutio al
mo ality,”
it
said.