The cabinet meeting at Singh Durbar on Thursday afternoon endorsed a anti-witchcraft bill. [break]
“As people are being tortured and even killed on the charge of practicing witchcraft, the proposed law aims to make such activities punishable,” said Minister for Finance Barshaman Pun after the cabinet meeting, adding, “The government will table the bill in the parliament very soon.”
According to sources, the bill has proposed 10 years jail and Rs 100,000 fine for those involved in crimes committed in the name of witchcraft and black magic.
There is no specific anti-witchcraft law in the country as provisions incorporated in the civil code are not sufficient and effective.
The cabinet meeting also decided to provide Rs 200,000 to Sunita Pudasaini of Jorpati, Kathmandu who was blinded by her relatives on Thursday for allegedly practicing witchcraft.
Similarly, the cabinet meeting decided to provide 15 percent of the fine collected from traffic rule violators to traffic police personnel.
The government has also extended the term of taskforce that is collecting data on life and property losses and damage to physical infrastructure cause by the decade-long conflict, by six months.
The term of temporary officials working at the secretariat of the special committee has also been extended till the end of Baisakh (mid-April).
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