It has been a six-year legal battle for Sushma against the horrific ‘honour killing' by her brother of almost her entire marital family: husband Prabhu Nochil, her father-in-law and two minors in their home near Mumbai, all to avenge her marriage into a family of a ‘lower' caste. Sushma is from a Brahmin family of UP, and Prabhu, an Ezhava from Kerala.
On July 22, 2009, Ved Pal Maun, a 27-year–old medical practitioner of Mataur village in Kaithal district was brutally murdered by armed people in front of a warrant officer who ran away with injuries. Ved Paul loved Sonia who was Banwala gotra and they eloped and married.
These are just a few of the innumerable barbaric acts taking place in the name of ‘honour killing’. Intolerant families and illegal panchayats kill young couples who marry in violation of traditional community norms.
These barbaric acts need to be condemned by the whole nation. These panchayats are not even sorry for their act. They still feel what they are doing is right. We surely need separate laws for ‘honour killings’. Funny thing is our govt. don’t even record these killings separately, so we don’t even have proper statistics about it. Although the issue was raised in the Parliament last year, legislative measures are unlikely in the near future as major political parties are unwilling to antagonise their caste vote banks.
In case of Mrs. Sushma, although the fast track sessions court in Maharashtra, and later the Bombay High Court, awarded the death penalty to Sushma's brother Dilip Tiwari and his accomplices, the Supreme Court in December 2009 reduced the sentence to 25-year imprisonment. Though I am against capital punishment (personal feeling), the reason mentioned to reduce the sentence is at flaw.
The Supreme Court, explaining its decision to revoke the death sentence, said: “It is a common experience that when the younger sister commits something unusual and in this case it was an inter-caste, intercommunity marriage out of a secret love affair, then in society it is the elder brother who justifiably or otherwise is held responsible for not stopping such [an] affair.If he became the victim of his wrong but genuine caste considerations, it would not justify the death sentence... The vicious grip of the caste, community, religion, though totally unjustified, is a stark reality.”
This is totally illegal. Indirectly the Supreme Court is justifying honour killings. By making such statements the Apex Court is sending wrong message to the nation. No one has any right to stop willing couples from marrying. It is surely against law.
We the people should demand for separate laws regarding honour killings. The major political parties should stop their vote bank politics and implement new laws regarding this issue.
references: Cover Story in Frontline dated 28th Aug 2009,
Recent article in Hindu Her struggle for justice against honour killing.
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