The Orissa High Court has come to the rescue of a tribal family in the state’s Mayurbhanj district amid reports of family members being ostracised by local settlers, denied access to public facilities for almost two decades, and restrained from performing obsequies of their loved ones.

The distressed family was subjected to the diktat of a kangaroo court on the suspicion that the family members were practising witchcraft and had cast evil on the village.

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A Single Bench of Justice Dr S K Panigrahi, while hearing the writ petition filed by the eldest member of the family, Sundar Mohan Majhi, directed the district police administration to assist the petitioner in performing the death ritual for his deceased wife.

In an order pronounced on Thursday, the court directed the Superintendent of Police, Mayurbhanj, to file an affidavit regarding the steps taken on the issues, especially the social boycott and restraint in harvesting the paddy from his own agricultural land, and any other issues faced by the petitioner.

Earlier, Justice Dr Panigrahi, considering the gravity of the contents of the petition, directed the Superintendent of Police, Mayurbhanj, along with the Inspector-In-Charge of Bangiriposi police station to appear before the court on 30 January through virtual mode and explain why the police had been complacent in such an act.

The petitioner sought a direction from the court for initiation of action against the accused persons, who held a kangaroo court and ostracised the family for the last 18 years by restricting their access to public institutions, public well, and pond to take water for their use, and also imposed a fine of Rs 25,000 on suspicion of practising sorcery.

The villagers had also restrained the petitioner from performing the death ritual of his wife. Besides, the petitioner also claimed that the villagers restrained the family members from harvesting paddy from their croplands.

Furthermore, the petitioner, Majhi, had filed a complaint with the Bangiriposi police station on 7 November last year; however, the police turned a blind eye to it.

The SP shall also explain what proactive steps have been taken by the police administration to bring the present petitioner into the mainstream against such orthodox people. The affidavit shall be filed by 25th February 2025.

The police administration shall also take steps to allow the petitioner to use water from the common well, including the tube well and other common resources of the village. The SP shall also explain what proactive steps have been taken by the police administration to bring the present petitioner into the mainstream against such orthodox people, Justice Panigrahi ordered and posted the matter for further hearing on 25 February.

Superstition-bound witch-hunting and witchcraft-related violence continue to rear their ugly head in Odisha despite the state government enacting the Prevention of Witch Hunting Act in 2014 to put an end to the abhorrent practice. The Scheduled Tribe-inhabited pockets of Sundargarh, Mayurbhanj, Nabarangpur, Rayagada, Malkangiri, Keonjhar, and Nuapada are the worst affected, accounting for the majority of such despicable practices.