People's Democracy

AIDWA Welcomes SC Judgement On Inter Caste Marriages

THE All India Democratic Women’s Association (AIDWA) has welcomed the Supreme Court judgement in support of inter caste marriages and the direction to the administration and the police through out the country to extend protection to couples who are being harassed and tortured. AIDWA also welcomed the directive to the police to initiate actions against those who have resorted to or instigated violence in these marriages.

In a statement, AIDWA general secretary Sudha Sundararaman, vice president Kalindi Deshpande and legal convener Kirti Singh observed that swift and timely action by the police in such marriages will help thousands of such couples through out the country.“For several years now, AIDWA has been consistently fighting against the violence often unleashed on such couples by the parents as well as by the community in both inter caste as well as in inter community marriages. Instances of ‘honour killings’ where Khap Panchayats have issued fatwas to murder or separate the young couples who have chosen partners outside their community have exposed the extent of the casteist, communal, and feudal notions entrenched in society. Quite frequently the police and administrative authorities are also complicit in the carrying out of the barbaric judgments and punishments issued by the caste and community based panchayats”, noted the statement.

Stating that the Supreme Court order comes at a very opportune moment, the AIDWA appealed to the court to immediately issue guidelines for enforcing its directions so that its intention of preventing and punishing harassment and violence in honour killing cases can be translated into action at the local level.