Mumbai: Maharashtra government has promulgated an anti-black magic and superstition ordinance four days after the murder of rationalist Narendra Dabholkar in Pune. Governor K Sankaranarayanan has given his assent to the ordinance yesterday.

Dabholkar had drafted the Anti-Superstition and Black Magic Bill over a decade ago, but it repeatedly failed to get through the State Legislature. The Bill had proposed that those indulging in black magic or preying on peoples’ superstitions be jailed for up to seven years.

The bill also sought to ban a range of practices including black magic, animal sacrifice and magical remedies to cure ailments. The bill will be taken up for passage during the winter session of state legislature at Nagpur in December.