No fast track courts to hear honour killing cases in Delhi, HC to consult govt for their formation
A division bench of Chief Justice D K Upadhyaya and Justice Tushar Rao Gedela issued the direction while dealing with a petition filed by Dhanak of Humanity, an NGO working on issues faced by honour killing victims.
With no designated special court or fast track court in the Capital to try honour killing cases, the Delhi High Court on Thursday directed a non-profit organisation (NGO) and the mother of an alleged victim of honour killing to make a representation to this effect to the administrative side of the HC as well as to the Delhi government.
A division bench of Chief Justice D K Upadhyaya and Justice Tushar Rao Gedela issued the direction while dealing with a petition filed by Dhanak of Humanity, an NGO working on issues faced by honour killing victims, and one Laxmi Singh ā mother of 19-year old Himanshu, who allegedly became a victim of honour killing in April.
The petitioners, represented by advocate Utkarsh Singh, were seeking that the directions issued by the Supreme Court in the Shakti Vahini case in 2018 be complied with.
In 2018, the SC had laid down guidelines āto meet the challenges of the agonising effect of honour crimeā. A part of the guidelines had proposed setting up of a safe house at each district headquarter of a state, under the supervision of the jurisdictional district magistrate and superintendent of police, to grant protection to couples facing opposition from their families, local community or khaps.
It had also recommended the setting up of designated courts or fast track courts for conducting trials in honour killing cases.
Acknowledging that no such fast track court and designated court exist at the moment in the Capital, the Delhi government, through its standing counsel Sanjay Lao, informed the court that setting up of such courts will have to be first proposed by the HC on the administrative side to the Delhi government, which will then act on it.
Recording that the establishment of designated or fast track courts for conducting trials in honour killing cases will be carried out by the Delhi government in consultation with the HC, the court permitted the petitioners to approach the HC by making a representation on its administrative side through its Registrar General, with a copy also marked to the concerned department of the Delhi government.
Story continues below this ad
The court permitted the petitioners to make the representation within a fortnight. The bench also recorded that such a representation will be attended to by the courtās administrative side in consultation with the Delhi government and adequate steps taken in this regard.
Sohini Ghosh is a Senior Correspondent at The Indian Express. Previously based in Ahmedabad covering Gujarat, she recently moved to the New Delhi bureau, where she primarily covers legal developments at the Delhi High Court
Professional Profile
Background: An alumna of the Asian College of Journalism (ACJ), she previously worked with ET NOW before joining The Indian Express.
Core Beats: Her reporting is currently centered on the Delhi High Court, with a focus on high-profile constitutional disputes, disputes over intellectual property, criminal and civil cases, issues of human rights and regulatory law (especially in the areas of technology and healthcare).
Earlier Specialty: In Gujarat, she was known for her rigorous coverage in the beats of crime, law and policy, and social justice issues, including the 2002 riot cases, 2008 serial bomb blast case, 2016 flogging of Dalits in Una, among others.
She has extensively covered health in the state, including being part of the team that revealed the segregation of wards at the stateās largest government hospital on lines of faith in April 2020.
With Ahmedabad being a UNESCO heritage city, she has widely covered urban development and heritage issues, including the redevelopment of the Sabarmati Ashram
Recent Notable Articles (Late 2025)
Her recent reporting from the Delhi High Court covers major political, constitutional, corporate, and public-interest legal battles:
High-Profile Case Coverage
She has extensively covered the various legal battles - including for compensation under the aegis of North East Delhi Riots Claims Commission - pertaining to the 2020 northeast Delhi riots, as well as 1984 anti-Sikh riots.
She has also led coverage at the intersection of technology and governance, and its impact on the citizenry, from, and beyond courtrooms ā such as the governmentās stakeholder consultations for framing AI-Deepfake policy.
Signature Style
Sohini is recognized for her sustained reporting from courtrooms and beyond. She specialises in breaking down dense legal arguments to make legalese accessible for readers. Her transition from Gujarat to Delhi has seen her expand her coverage on regulatory, corporate and intellectual property law, while maintaining a strong commitment to human rights and lacuna in the criminal justice system.
X (Twitter):Ā @thanda_ghosh ... Read More
