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Abstract
Witch can be defined as a woman having magical or supernatural powers, especially evil ones.[1] Oxford English Dictionary defines witch “as a woman having magical or supernatural powers, especially evil ones.”[2] Collins English dictionary has defined witch as a woman, usually an old woman, who has evil magical powers[3]. Until the year 1999 neither there was any legal definition of the term “witch” nor witch hunting for the reason that there was no penal law on the offences related to accusation of witch or witch craft practices and the offences related to witch hunting were dealt with under the various provisions of Indian Penal Code (I.P.C). A witch hunt involves “the search and pursuit of witches based on fantasy and hidden motives”.[4]
[1] Oxford Advance Learners Dictionary,7th ed.,2005,P. 1573
1 Oxford Advance Learners Dictionary, 7th ed., 2005, P. 1573.Ronald Hutton, “The Global Context of the Scottish Witch Hunt” in Julian Goodare (ed), The Scottish Witch Hunt in Context, Manchester, Manchester University Press, 2002.
[3] https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/witch. Last assessed on 17/3/2017.
[4]Gary F. Jensen “The Path of the Devil: Early Modern Witch Hunts.”: Rowman and Littlefield, New York, 2007.