Odisha drafts anti-witch-hunting policy with special courts, time-bound trials

Odisha is drafting a comprehensive anti-witch-hunting policy that proposes special courts, time-bound trials, immediate rescue and rehabilitation of victims, and accountability for police officers who fail to register or properly investigate complaints.

The draft Odisha State Policy for Witch-Hunting (Prevention, Protection and Prosecution), 2026, prepared by the Women and Child Development Department, aims to step up prevention, guarantee immediate rescue for victims, and accelerate legal proceedings across rural and tribal regions. HT has reviewed the draft of the policy.

“Under the proposed policy, the state will establish special courts and deploy trained prosecutors to ensure time-bound trials for witch-hunting cases. Cases will be registered under the Odisha Prevention of Witch-Hunting Act, 2013, alongside provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and, where applicable, the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act,” said an official associated with drafting the policy.

Also read: Odisha law commission recommends sweeping amendments to anti-witch hunting Act

The policy proposes round-the-clock response mechanisms, systematic case tracking, and action against officials who fail to register or properly investigate complaints. It also recommends special procedures during evidence recording to minimise trauma for victims and witnesses, who can also be covered under the state’s Witness Protection Scheme for safe relocation.

Placing more emphasis on pre-emptive intervention before accusations in villages result in violence, the policy says authorities will map vulnerable villages and mobilise Gram Sabhas, schools, self-help groups, and frontline health workers to counter superstition and build scientific awareness. Additionally, Gram Panchayat Social Justice Standing Committees will serve as the primary vigilance mechanism to detect early signs of witch-branding and alert district officials.

Another official associated with the policy drafting said the practice of witchcraft is not simply a manifestation of superstition but a structural problem linked to poverty, patriarchy, social exclusion, weak access to healthcare, land conflicts and lack of scientific awareness.

Once a victim lodges a complaint about persecution, police and district authorities will have to provide immediate rescue and safe shelter either in One Stop Centres or Shakti Sadans. Long-term support and compensation for the victims will be managed through a dedicated non-lapsable fund, partially financed through court-ordered fines.

The policy comes a year after the Odisha State Law Commission recommended major amendments to the existing Odisha Prevention of Witch-Hunting Act, 2013, which had failed to address root causes such as social exclusion, property disputes, irrational beliefs, and institutional failures.

Between 2008 and 2023, Odisha recorded 315 witchcraft-related murders—the second-highest tally in India after Jharkhand—according to National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) data cited in the draft. Furthermore, a 2021 study by ActionAid India documented 147 witch-branding cases in Odisha between 2017 and 2021, with women accounting for more than 90% of victims.