Beating a woman accused of being a witch is a blot on the constitution: Supreme Court verdict

The Supreme Court has held that every case of inhumane and humiliating incidents against women on the accusation of witchcraft is against the spirit of the Constitution. | Photo Courtesy: Sushil Kumar Verma

The Supreme Court on Thursday ruled that the humiliating, serious assault and public humiliation of two women in rural Bihar in 2020 had tarnished the constitutional spirit of equality and dignity.

A bench of Justices CT Ravikumar and Sanjay Karol condemned the Patna High Court for staying criminal proceedings against the accused and the Bihar government for failing to prosecute the case to bring justice to the women.

“Witchcraft is deeply intertwined with superstition, patriarchy and social control, it leaves no wonder that such accusations were often directed against widows or elderly women. Various reasons are accepted such as caste discrimination, revenge for defiance of social norms,” ​​Justice Karol said 19 Mentioned in the judgment of Page.

The court said that every case of inhumane and humiliating incidents against women on the accusation of witchcraft is against the spirit of the constitution.

“Dignity goes to the core of an individual’s existence in society. Any act that disturbs the dignity of either another individual or the state is likely to go against the spirit of the Constitution of India,” the court highlighted while reviving the case against the accused in the case.

“The cases before us and many others coming across our desks keep us alive to the underground reality that much has been done through legislative, executive and judicial action to protect the weaker sections of the society. Women, in this context, from exploitation, its impact has not reached the bottom,” the court said. .