Law on 'witchcraft' also pending

JAIPUR: Despite the Rajasthan High Court's observation over the law regarding protecting women who are tortured or killed after being branded as 'witch', the state government has failed to introduce the concerned bill.
A fortnight ago, the high court had sought a deadline from the state government for introduction of Rajasthan Women (Prevention & Protection from Atrocities) Bill, 2011 in which a major thrust has been given to protecting women who are tortured or killed after being branded as witches, an evil practice prevalent in many rural areas of the state.
"The state government has assured the court that the bill will be implemented with 10 weeks' time," lawyer AK Jain said.
The bill had been welcomed by women's rights activists who had been demanding this for some time. A divisional bench of Rajasthan High Court had issued notices to the state government, women's commission of Rajasthan and director general of police in this regard. The notices were issued by a petition filed by the National Federation of Indian Women through its secretary Nisha Siddhu.