Protecting marriages across castes 

Protecting marriages across castes 

Context

SC’s direction against Khap panchayats

What has happened?

The Supreme Court on Tuesday declared that

• It was illegal for parents or khappanchayats to interfere in decisions of adult men and women of different castes to marry
• A khappanchayat cannot summon adults and question their choice of marriage partner and warned that the court would step in if the centre failed to take steps to stop such interference

Khaps

Khaps are caste or community organizations in villages which at times act as quasi-judicial bodies and pronounce harsh punishments based on customs and traditions

Context of SC’s ruling

The court was hearing a 2010 petition by NGO Shakti Vahini against khap panchayats seeking directions to the centre and state governments for preventing honour crimes