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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
