NHRC slams khap panchayats

Issuing notices to the public authorities wherein complaints or media reports have alleged violence against couples married in the same gotra or inter-caste in parts of Haryana and western Uttar Pradesh,the NHRC has asked them to take action against those responsible for such acts.

It has also asked the concerned state authorities in Uttar Pradesh,in a particular case of this nature,to inform the Commission about the steps taken by them to deal with such issues or preventing interference by the khap panchayat in the criminal justice system.

The NHRC has also said that the demand for amendment to the Hindu Marriage Act,banning same gotra marriages is a subject of wider debate keeping in view the national perspective on the social,cultural and traditional aspects,as well as an individuals right to liberty as enshrined in the Constitution.