Babas,Tantriks in tizzy over new British rule

Yes, you will soon be able to sue them, if you live in Britain or the European Union, thanks to new consumer protection rules coming into force, and soothsayers who earn over 40 million pounds every year in Britain are already in a tizzy.

The psychics or 'baba' who claim to speak to the dead or promise '100 per cent guarantee' of love and riches include many from the Indian sub-continent.

They are the most prominent advertisers in Asian publications and television channels in various south Asian languages.

The British parliament is currently in the process of repealing the 1951 Fraudulent Mediums Act, which had replaced the 1735 Witchcraft Act, to harmonise trading laws across the EU as per the Unfair Commercial Practices Directive.

The House of Lords debated the changes to the act on April 23, while the House of Commons debate is scheduled for May 6.

The directive comes into effect in the United Kingdom from May 26.

The Asian community has been particularly vulnerable to the influence of psychics, 'babas' and witch doctors, who promise to cure all ills, remove spells and bring luck to those who believe in spells and occult practices.

Welcoming the repeal, Lavkesh Prashar, president of the Birmingham-based Asian Rationalist Society of Britain, told PTI: "This is very good news. It will now be possible to take the tricksters and 'tantriks' to court or force them to insert disclaimers in their advertisements".

The ASRB, which has affiliates in India, has been campaigning for several years against such practices.

Its 11 year old offer to reward any psychic who could prove to possess special powers with 10,000 pounds is yet to find any takers, despite much publicity.

"They preyed on vulnerable people and operated without any fear of law. Many of them even offer so-called 100 per cent guarantee of their predictions coming true or solving any problem", Prashar said.

Since the Fraudulent Mediums Act was enacted in 1951, there have been less than 10 prosecutions in Britain.

Under the act, prosecutors had to prove fraud and dishonest intent to secure a criminal conviction, which was difficult.