Explanation:

 It took nearly three years for the Bill to be converted into an Act after it was passed by the Assam's state assembly.
Highlights of the bill-

• The bill proposed to impose a fine of up to Rs. 5 lakh along with imprisonment of up to seven years for branding a person as a witch.
• This bill categorises any offence under the act as non-bailable, cognizable and non-compoundable.
• It is a very old problem in Assam wherein a woman is branded as a witch and killed according to their old tradition. A staggering a number of 193 people- 114 women and 79 men- have been tagged as a witch and killed between 2001 and 2017.
• It is a positive step for the society to tackle the witch-hunting menace. If all stakeholders work together, we will be able to control the problem, based on superstition, to a large extent. If someone is killed after being branded as a witch, the act would be imposed along with Section 302 of Indian Penal Code (IPC).
• The punishment may be extended to life imprisonment along with Rs. 5 lakh fine, for leading a person to commit suicide after defaming, stigmatising and accusing them of being a witch.
• The Act also entails that the fine released as punishment for an offence shall be paid to the victim or the next of their kin as compensation.