Overview

• The Charaideo District and Sessions Court sentenced 23 people to life imprisonment for the 2012 witchcraft-related murder of Fuleswari Halowa in Jalha village, Assam.
• The convicts, comprising 12 men and 11 women, were also fined Rs 5,000 each and ordered to pay Rs 8 lakh in compensation to the victim's family.
• The 65-year-old victim was tortured and burned alive by a mob after being accused of practicing witchcraft, a crime that sparked outrage and highlighted superstition-driven violence in the region.
• The trial spanned 13 years, reflecting systemic delays in prosecuting crimes linked to entrenched superstitions in rural Assam.
• This landmark verdict underscores growing legal accountability for witch-hunting, which disproportionately targets marginalized and vulnerable groups, particularly elderly women.