Guwahati, April 26: The Assam Legislative Assembly on Monday passed the Assam Healing (Prevention of Evil) Practices Bill, 2024, which aims to “prevent traditional healing practices with ulterior motives” and raise awareness about scientifically-backed information and knowledge to safeguard human health from harmful practices.
Notably, the legislation seeks to prevent people from indulging in healing practices, including claims of magical healing for treatment of any diseases, any disorder or any condition relating to human health directly or indirectly, giving a false impression of treatment to cure diseases, pain or trouble to human health.
The legislation also prohibits advertisements related to any kind of medicine or remedy that falsely claims to cure diseases through healing practices.
“No person shall take part in any sort of advertisement relating to any kind of medicine, remedy directly or indirectly relating to any false claim to cure diseases through healing practices,” the legislation read.
Offences committed under the provisions of the Bill would be cognisable, non-bailable and could result in imprisonment for one to three years and a fine of Rs 50000 for the first offence. Subsequent convictions could lead to imprisonment, which may extend up to five years, or with a fine of Rs 1 lakh, or both.
Congress Legislature Party leader Debabrata Saikia raised concerns over the lack of a clear-cut definition of “evil practices” in the Bill, while stating that it could be an attempt to impose a uniform civil code in Assam.
“There is no clear definition of evil practices and different communities in the state have different ways of curing illnesses and healing them based on traditional herbs/medicines and practices,” Saikia said.
Several other legislators also raised doubts on the kinds of practices the Bill sought to ban as different communities in Assam have been practising several means of healing.
Responding to the concerns, chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma clarified that the Bill did not seek to ban traditional healing practices with good intent.
“People can engage in traditional healing practices that are done with a good intention. But we want to prohibit such practices done with an ulterior motive to earn money from people by claiming to cure incurable diseases,” the chief minister said, while addressing the House in favour of the Bill.
Sarma further said that the legislation did not have any connection with uniform civil code.
Notably, 14 other Bills were passed on the concluding day of the Assembly’s budget session. However, no legislation was introduced to ban polygamy in the state.