‘Can’t victimise women in name of witchcraft': Supreme Court upholds life sentence of murder convict, slams superstition

The Supreme Court has maintained a life sentence for an Odisha man convicted of murder, deeming the victimization of women as "witches" a sign of deep-rooted social prejudice and irrational fear, which must not prevail over reason and the rule of law. The court's bench emphasized that superstition and unfounded beliefs should not lead to the scapegoating of vulnerable women.

Balku Oram's appeal was dismissed by the top court, as the evidence proved that he and his co-accused brutally assaulted the victim, resulting in her death. The court expressed deep concern over the persistence of such practices in India's constitutional democracy, stating that when faced with fear or unexplained events, society often chooses to blame a woman instead of addressing the true cause.