New Delhi: Terming `khap` panchayat as
illegal and honour killing as "barbaric and shameful", the
Supreme Court on Tuesday said these should be stamped out
"ruthlessly" and asked states to suspend district magistrates
and SPs concerned if they failed to act against the offenders.
A bench of justices Markandeya Katju and Gyan Sudha
Mishra said in a judgement that the new trends of kangaroo
courts, honour killings, "khap" panchayaths in northern India
and "katta" panchayats in Tamil Nadu were barbaric and
illegal, the perpetrators of which required the harshest
punishment.
"We have in recent years heard of khap panchayats
(known as katta panchayats in Tamil Nadu) which often decree
or encourage honour killings or other atrocities in an
institutionalised way on boys and girls of different castes
and religion, who wish to get married or have been married, or
interfere with the personal lives of people.
"We are of the opinion that this is wholly illegal and
has to be ruthlessly stamped out. There is nothing honourable
in honour killing or other atrocities and, in fact, it is
nothing but barbaric and shameful murder. Other atrocities in
respect of personal lives of people committed by brutal,
feudal-minded persons deserve harsh punishment," Justice Katju
said writing the judgement.
PTI
