A court in northern India sentenced five men to death on Tuesday for murdering a young couple who married in defiance of caste tradition.
The five sentenced to hang over the so-called “honor killing” were relatives of the woman, named Babli, whose body was found alongside her husband Manoj’s mutilated corpse in June 2007, in Haryana state.
The two were slain near Karnal district after a local khap panchayat, or caste council, decreed they both belonged to the same sub-caste and were therefore “brother and sister.”
Council chief Ganga Raj was given a life sentence by district judge Vani Gopal Sharma, who lashed out at such councils.
“Khap panchayats have functioned contrary to the constitution, ridiculed it and have become a law unto themselves,” the judge said.
India’s ancient Hindu caste system was banned soon after independence from Britain more than six decades ago, but its influence remains powerful.
Indian media hailed the “landmark judgment” as a victory against the notorious councils, which have acted with impunity as parallel judicial bodies.
Executions in India are rare and the five condemned men — who dragged the newlyweds from a bus before killing them — said they would appeal to a higher court against their sentences.
There are no official figures for the number of honor killings in India, but social activists say hundreds of young men and women die every year — especially in Haryana, Punjab and Uttar Pradesh states.
Most are driven to suicide or killed by family members and outraged neighbors, for daring to marry outside their caste and bringing “dishonor” to their communities.
The killings often have the tacit approval of village councils, which wield considerable political clout. Prevention is sometimes hampered by police sympathy for traditional council rulings and witnesses can be hard to find.
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