'Vote bank politics stalling action against Khap Panchayats'

Chandigarh, Mar 17 (UNI) The inaction against the diktats of caste-based Khap Panchayats here are due to political compulsions, the counsels for the petitioners submitted before the Punjab and Haryana High Court today, and sought judicial intervention to prevent such bodies from functioning as parallel courts.

This submission was made by the counsels for the Peoples Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL) Haryana, Panchkula before the court's division bench of Chief Justice D K Jain and Justice Surya Kant during the resumed hearing on the petition.

The case would now come up for further hearing on April 19 when the Haryana Home Secretary would file an affidavit about the stand of the state government on the issue.

The petition pertains to the controversy kicked up by the Khap Panchayat of Sheoran sub-caste of Jats in the state in the context of marriages that took place sometime back in Bhiwani district.

Two sisters, Manju and Amit, daughters of Mahavir Singh of village Nangla, were married to two brothers, Jagdish and Krishan of village Ladawas. The Khap Panchayat of Sheoran sub-caste had been seeking dissolution of the marriages, terming these against the accepted norms of the sub-caste. The bridegrooms in this case belong to Gill sub-caste.

The petitioner has prayed to declare these Panchayats as illegal, besides directing them from issuing prohibitive diktats which interfered with the fundamental and human rights of the citizens. In an application, the PUCL has also prayed for taking on record the article on Khap Panchayats, published recently in an English daily published here.

The article by former Haryana Public Service Commission (HPSC) Chairman, D.R.Chaudhry, cited how Rajasthan High Court had successfully intervened in a similar case which led to effective action by the police. The same was taken on record by the bench.

The counsels also pointed out that the first such incident of Khap panchayats interfering with the fundamental rights of the citizens had come from Killoi assembly constituency, represented by the Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda. This matter also reached the High Court as the local administration for obvious reasons had failed to act effectively when a similar of controversy involving newly wed couple of Sonia of village Killoi with Rampal of village Assanda had erupted.

Meanwhile, the Bhiwani SP has, in his reply submitted in the court, said four persons had been arrested in connection with the incident. Police protection 15 continuing to the newly wed couples in Ladawas, he added.

UNI XC PS SI KP2024