Khap panchayats demand amendment in Hindu Marriage Act

A umbrella body of khap panchayats (caste council) today unanimously demanded an amendment in the Hindu Marriage Act seeking ban on marriages amongst blood relations as well as people within the same village.

The Sarvjatiya Sarvkhap Maha Panchayat, having representatives from over 50 khaps of various communities including Kashyap and Rajput from Haryana, Rajasthan, Delhi and Uttar Pradesh met here and passed a resolution in this regard.

The panchayat expressed its complete faith in the Punjab and Haryana high court and decided to appeal before it for a "retrial" of the Manoj-Babli case.

A court in Karnal had recently awarded capital punishment to five persons in the double murder case of young couple Manoj and Babli, who had married within the same gotra (sect), a practice against the societal norms.

The panchayat also decided to submit a memorandum to Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda and opposition leader and former Chief Minister O P Chautala to pass a Bill in the State Assembly for an amendment in the Hindu Marriage Act and send it to the Central government by May 10.

It also decided to 'gherao' the residence of Congress MP from Kurukshetra Naveen Jindal at Kaithal on May 10 in support of the demand. 

The resolution was passed with raising of hands and voice vote at the end of four-hour long meeting of the Maha Panchayat, presided over by veteran khap leader Mani Ram Jhakholi.

Mewa Singh Chhattar, who passed the resolution, claimed that khap panchayats are above judicial courts as they were ensuring rules and regulation to run societies smoothly well before courts came into existence. 

He regretted that attempts were being made to defame the khap system to create unrest in the communities especially in rural areas of Haryana. 

The resolution also demanded that "innocent persons being arrested in connection with incident of honour killings must
be released and false cases be withdrawn".

The panchayat also demanded a CBI inquiry into the burning of houses of the Dalits at Mirchpur village in Hisar recently to find out the truth.

During the meeting the panchayat also clarified that no money would be collected for Manoj-Babli case as was reported in a section of media on the basis of some decision taken at Kurukshetra khap mahapanchayat.

Addressing the meeting, the local INLD MLA, Rampal Majra said he was authorised by party president O P Chautala to announce that opposition parties would support the motion by ruling Congress party in the Vidhan Sabha to demand amendment
in the Hindu Marriage Act.

"If the ruling party failed to do it, INLD would move a non-government motion in the assembly for this amendment," he
said.

Many speakers at the meeting including Santosh Dhayia, who was elected as chairperson of the women cell of the Sarvjatiya Sarvkhap Maha Panchayat, expressed anguish over the
judgement in Manoj-Babli murder case.

Dhayia as well as others said the khap panchayat of Karora in Kaithal had never taken any decision to kill the young couple when they got married against the wishes of village elders.