The Legislative Assembly of
Maharashtra on 13 December 2013 passed the much-awaited Anti-Superstition Bill.
The Bill seeks to curb black magic and other inhuman practices arising out of superstition.
It came after four months of the murder of the noted rationalist
Dr. Narendra Dabholkar on 20 August 2013 in Pune, who fought for such a law for
more than for one and a half decade. Earlier, the State Government of
Maharashtra on 21 August 2013 adopted an Anti-Black Magic and Superstition
Ordinance.
The Lower House
adopted the Bill by a voice vote with certain amendments. The Bill was
introduced in the Lower House on 10 December 2013 by the Social Justice
Minister Shivajirao Moghe. Resentment and dismay was expressed by the opposition members, over the
passage of the Bill in undue haste even after development of consensus on the Bill.
Now the Bill will
be taken to the Legislative Council for consideration and passage, after which
it will be enforced as a law. The state Government had promulgated an
ordinance in this regard after the assassination of the Anti-Superstition
campaigner Dr. Dabholkar and introduced the revised Bill to get
it converted into the law.