Yet another witchcraft practitioner story out of Canada--this one from Toronto. Police have charged Murali Muthyalu (Master Raghav) for violating the Criminal Code of Canada, R.S.C., 1985, c. C-46, Sec. 365, Pretending to practice witchcraft, etc. In addition to advertising psychic services, he also convinced a client to spend more than one hundred thousand dollars on various methods of removing evil spirits that were bedeviling the man. Mr. Muthyalu's ads promised a "100 percent guarantee."
Generally, prosecutions under this section of the Criminal Code are rare. As I've written previously, I think true believers in witchcraft would have a defense under Section 2 of the Charter. In addition, such a section is generally bad policy. If a prosecutor wants to pursue bad actors for fraud and deceit, then she can do so under a fraud statute. I don't see the need to do so under a statute that implicates belief. As I write elsewhere (see here and here), the U.S. has been down this road. Allowing prosecution under statutes that implicate belief tend to catch not just people who are committing deceptive acts, but people who are expressing, and practicing their beliefs. It tends to target minorities.
More here from the National Post.
Via Sandra P. Cole of Toronto (@Sandra_Cole44), I've learned that Mr. Muthyalu pled guilty to fraud and is paying the complainant nearly $70,000. The witchcraft charge was dropped. More here.
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