Enjoying a virtual free run for centuries, Haryana's notorious khap panchayat is nailed. The top khap leaders have been convicted and many village sarpanches supporting these "courts" have been suspended finally.
Five men have been sentenced to death and one jailed for life over the 2007 murder of a couple who married against the wishes of village elders. Manoj, 23, and Babli, 19, had eloped and married in May 2007. They were murdered the following month after being chased by Babli's relatives who wanted to avenge family Honour.
Those sentenced to death included Babli's brother Suresh, Rajinder and Baru Ram (both uncles), and Gurdev and Satish (both cousins).
After hesitations and social inhibitions to act on the heinous crime for years the state authorities have woken up. The Government is all set to take on these parallel judicial bodies who have thoroughly worked opposite the writ of Indian law.
The landmark verdict by the Karnal court, which held six persons guilty of killing a couple, Manoj and Babli.The court in the northern state of Haryana last week convicted the men of the murders of Manoj and Babli, who were killed a month after they eloped. it was taken as violation of local customs by marrying within the same sub-caste.
A blow to the barbaric kangaroo courts and illogical man made customs and traditions.
The police has always failed to protect couples despite Punjab and Haryana High Court directions.
But under the close monitoring of HC, police not only registered an FIR against khap leaders in Rohtak district but also arrested a sarpanch in Bhiwani district for supporting the illegal panchayat.
The state governments soft approach and chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda's standard response being, "Law will take its course" has received a blow finally from the Court.
The young couple was kidnapped while they were travelling on a bus in Haryana in 2007. Their dead bodies were discovered later. The couple had approached the police with their fears shortly before they were kidnapped and killed.
The self-styled panchayats are a disgrace upon us and the country. The diktats issued by khaps are as bad as the diktats of Taliban.Only firm action can curb the activities of these irrelevant bodies. Honour killings are common in parts of northern India.
Unfortunately those found guilty in the case have the right to appeal. The verdict is one of its kinds. This decision will certainly prove a landmark to end the brutal killings in Haryana in the name of caste and so called Honour.
The government is set to amend the 150-year-old Indian Penal Code to define honour killing as a heinous crime by adding a new section to the criminal law, with punishment ranging from life imprisonment to even a death sentence. Current laws, if enforced stringently, can also address the issue. People who provide the social sanction for intimidation can be booked for criminal conspiracy, under an existing provision in the IPC.
What has been lacking is political will, because khap panchayats claim to represent the region’s dominant caste.
In an ongoing public interest litigation against khap panchayats in the Punjab and Haryana high court, the Haryana government opposed prosecuting these panchayats under the Prevention of Unlawful Activities Act 1967.
Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Hooda says the government must tread carefully, given that a “rash step” could affect the “law and order situation..
Political, social, religious and other public leaders must also join to educate the residents that times have changed and so the old norms and standards of family value need to change.
The government is set to amend the 150-year-old Indian Penal Code to define honour killing as a heinous crime by adding a new section to the criminal law, with punishment ranging from life imprisonment to even a death sentence. Current laws, if enforced stringently, can also address the issue. People who provide the social sanction for intimidation can be booked for criminal conspiracy, under an existing provision in the IPC.
What has been lacking is political will, because khap panchayats claim to represent the region’s dominant caste.
In an ongoing public interest litigation against khap panchayats in the Punjab and Haryana high court, the Haryana government opposed prosecuting these panchayats under the Prevention of Unlawful Activities Act 1967.
Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Hooda says the government must tread carefully, given that a “rash step” could affect the “law and order situation..
Political, social, religious and other public leaders must also join to educate the residents that times have changed and so the old norms and standards of family value need to change.
First, Manoj did wrong ignoring the tradition of the society.
ReplyDeleteThen Babli, supporting Manoj, did very wrong forgetting the limits of an honoured village girl, the limits set for a respectful and loving girl of the whole village. The limits which give a girl the honour and preasure of being 'gaon ki beti, sabki beti'.
Panchayat tood a balanced decision on the incident, but unfortunately, the circumstances took place and again that was happened which was very right according to the village custom.
This was not happened for the first time in the Indian traditional social system.
The family people (brothers, chacha ji and dada ji) hard heartedly Killing their own beloved girl did the very right thing for the sake of the social traditions.
Remember, these family people had to take the hard decision of killing the hardly adult couple only after realising that the so called 'Law of the land (of England ,applied in British India and ignorantly continued in the INDIPENDENT INDIA) is not going to protect the feelings of the village people but the two mischievous (not adult enough to understand the feelings of their elders in the mere age of 19, but adults in the eyes of the 'LAW' established)
This was not happened for the first time in Indian society, but this time media is managing the law and the governance.
In case of marriage in Indian society, the rule of avoiding one's own 'gotra' and mother's 'gotra' had been set since long after years of scientific research & studies.
Actually, it is essential for the birth of better breed, for the better next generation in the family. It is scientifically proved.
The same formula is applied in getting better breed of animals like cow and horses.
The so called modern convent educated modern generation, having so called scientific approach have no sense to understand the depth of the scientific approach in setting up the traditions in Indian society.
The court's verdict of giving 5 people the 'capital sentence' is too hard forgetting the culprits/victims belong to Babli's own family.
The decision is influenced by the media which is esteemed to spoil the Indian traditions and supporting the imported 'Human Rights' concept.
The killers of Babli and Manoj should be giving punishment because these people took the law in their own hands.
But the real work to do is to ammend the IPC according to Indian system which prefers society over the imported modern fashion of 'Human Rights'.
My openion is that there is a war between the so called western culture (supporting immeature fundas like human rights) and the Indian traditional/cultural values.
The law of the land (England), imposed in India, is making the things worst.
Gandhi ji, advocating the Ram Raj through Panchayati Raj had felt the key role of the panchayats in the society.
I have sympathy on the people of Babli's family, sentenced to death who are the victims of the British law applied in India and I really want to salute their feelings who put their life on stake to give a hard message to those youngster who are always keen to corrupt the set up of the traditions of the society.
The persons should be sacrified for the sake of the family.
The family should be sacrified for the sake of the society.
And the society should be sacrified for the sake of the Nation.