Supreme Court Rejects Plea on Eradicating Superstition and Sorcery

The Supreme Court on Friday (July 2) declined to entertain a plea seeking directions for the Centre and states to take appropriate measures to eradicate superstition, sorcery, and similar practices.

A bench comprising Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud and Justices J B Pardiwala and Manoj Misra stated that the solution to eradicating superstition lies in education.

The bench noted that such matters fall under the domain of Parliament. “How can we issue a writ that steps be taken to develop scientific temper and eradicate superstition? The founding fathers of the Constitution included this in the directive principles of state policy,” the bench remarked.

Petitioner advocate Ashwini Kumar Upadhyay withdrew the plea after the bench indicated its reluctance to entertain the matter. The plea had argued for the urgent need for a strict anti-superstition and sorcery law to address unscientific practices in society that adversely affect the community and to prevent fake seers from exploiting innocent people.

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