Overview
- A Division Bench led by Chief Justice Nitin Jamdar asked the state to consider a dedicated cell to receive and act on complaints about black magic, witchcraft, sorcery and other inhuman practices.
- The judges noted that nearly four years have passed without a final decision on a specific anti-superstition statute and listed the case for further consideration on February 10, 2026.
- The petition was filed by the Kerala Yukthi Vadhi Sangham seeking legislation on the lines of Maharashtra and Karnataka, with reports linking the plea to alleged human sacrifice cases in Pathanamthitta.
- The government argued that current laws are sufficient to prosecute related offences, citing provisions in the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, the Drugs and Magic Remedies Act, the Kerala Police Act, and special protective statutes.
- The state has formed a three-member expert committee—Sasidharan Nair, Jacob Punnoose and M. K. Sakkeer—which has met twice, with its work projected to conclude within nine weeks after earlier efforts to pass a 2022 bill were dropped in July 2023.