Aiyer for ban on Khap Panchayats

Chandigarh, Apr 26 (UNI) Union Minister for Panchayati Raj and Youth Affairs Manishankar Aiyer today said he was in favour of banning the Khap Panchayats as these were not formed under any provisions of the Constitution.

''They are not Panchayats and, thus, they should be banned,'' Mr Aiyer said in response to a question at a press conference here.

The Khap Panchayats had come under controversy last year when they annulled some marriages which were solemnised in a same sub-caste in Jhajjar, Hisar and other interior districts of Haryana.

Some activists, including the People's Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL), have moved the Punjab and Haryana High Court against the functioning of the Khap Panchayats.

The Union Minister today said he had already taken up this issue with some of his cabinet colleagues and he would do something to make the Khap Panchayats non-functional.

UNI PS RL HT2002