Defiant 'khap panchayats' vow to fight for honour killing convicts

Caste-councils meet in Kurukshetra, call for amendment in Hindu Marriage Act to ban marriages within same sub-caste

PTI | April 13, 2010



Amid an outcry over their diktats against marriages in same sub-castes, a grand assembly of self-styled caste councils on Monday struck a defiant note vowing to fight in courts for the seven people convicted a fortnight ago in honour killing of a couple in Haryana.

The meeting of representatives 36 caste-based councils or 'khap panchayats' from Haryana, parts of UP, Rajasthan and Delhi, demanded that the Hindu Marriage Act be amended to ban marriages in the same sub-castes (gotras).

The assembly was convened in the wake of the landmark verdict of a Karnal court on March 30 awarding death penalty to five for killing Manoj (23) and Babli (19) in 2007 as they had married in the same sub-caste. The head of a 'khap' panchayat which had ordered the killing was sentenced to life imprisonment while a driver who had kidnapped them was given seven years jail.

The meeting denied allegations that the 'khap' had issued "death warrant" against Manoj and Babli.

The 'Sarv Jaati Khap Mahapanchayat' held in this Haryana town, 84 kms from Chandigarh, offered every support to those who fight the case for the convicts in higher courts.

Mahender Singh Tikiat, president of the Bharitya Kisan Union (Tikiat), who presided over the assembly, and Yudhvir Singh, general secretary of the All India Jat Mahasabha, said their members would block the Grand Trunk road to press their demand.
 

Comments

 

Other News

BJP set to capture West Bengal

The political map of the country is set to be redrawn with the BJP set to win the West Bengal assembly elections, apart from Assam and the union territory of Puducherry. In Kerala, meanwhile, the Congress-led UDF is set to regain power. The filmstar Vijayan-led TVK has emerged as the front-runner in Tamil

Beyond LPG: Is PNG ready for India’s next cooking fuel transition?

India, the second-largest importer and consumer of LPG after China, faces growing pressure due to supply constraints. Most of India`s LPG imports transit through the Strait of Hormuz, a focal point of global turmoil. Given that LPG forms the backbone of household kitchens and the restaurant industry, any s

Maharashtra adopts hybrid model for Census 2026 data collection

The government has initiated preparations for Census 2026 in Maharashtra, introducing a hybrid approach that combines optional self-enumeration with comprehensive door-to-door data collection to ensure complete coverage across the state.   According to senior officials, the Self-

What the nine Indian Nobel winners have in common

A Touch Of Genius: The Wisdom of India’s Nobel Laureates Edited by Rudrangshu Mukherjee Aleph Books, Rs 1499, 848 pages  

Income Tax dept holds Ghatkopar Outreach on new IT Act

The Income Tax Department organised an outreach programme in Ghatkopar, Mumbai, to raise awareness about the key features of the Income Tax Act, 2025, effective April 1, 2026. The initiative is part of a nationwide effort to promote taxpayer awareness, simplify compliance, and strengthen a transparent, eff

Making AI work where governance is closest to people

India’s next governance leap may not solely come from digitisation. It will come from making public systems more intelligent, more adaptive, and more responsive to the dynamics at the grassroots. That opportunity is especially significant at the panchayat level, where governance is not an abstract po


Archives

Current Issue

Opinion

Facebook Twitter Google Plus Linkedin Subscribe Newsletter

Twitter