Court sentences five to death for honour killing of couple

New Delhi: In a historic judgement, a Haryana court yesterday awarded the death sentence to five people and life imprisonment to another for killing a young couple in the name of honour.

Manoj, 23, and Babli, 19, were kidnapped and killed in June 2007 for refusing to annul their marriage after the caste council, locally termed as khap, ruled that since they belonged to the same sub-caste, the newly-married couple be treated as brother and sister.

The two had entered into wedlock defying protests from their respective families and later on moved from their village to Karnal town and sought police protection.

Within a week, they were kidnapped and killed by five relatives of the bride and the caste leader, Ganga Raj, with assistance of Raj's driver who was sentenced to seven years imprisonment by the Karnal district court. Their bodes were recovered from a canal.

Marriages within the same sub-caste are socially banned in most parts of the country although it is not illegal.

Rare results

The caste councils, particularly in Haryana and the adjoining parts of Western Uttar Pradesh, are known to take the law into their hands and order such killings. They are rarely taken to task.

"We are happy with the judgement and hope it serves as a reminder to khap panchayats [caste councils] to remain within their limits. We would have been happier had the court awarded [a] death sentence to even Ganga Raj," Seema, Manoj's sister, said.

Although Manoj's family had initially resisted his marriage with Babli they took up the matter with the higher authorities despite threats. They continue to live in the same village where the caste council had ordered the killing of the couple.

Manoj's brother Narendra said that they would appeal in the Punjab and Haryana High Court seeking a death sentence for Ganga Raj.

The six held guilty of murder included Babli's brother Suresh, her cousins Gurdev and Satish, uncles Baru Ram and Rajender and caste council head Ganga Raj.

The Karnal district court also came down heavily on the police for their inability to protect the lives of the couple even after they had approached them for protection.

It is alleged that the police, instead of protecting the couple, informed the caste council of their location, there by facilitating the cold-blooded murder.