Analysis of Caste-Based Honour Killings with Special Reference to Tamil Nadu

Authors

  • Kavin Castro M LLM. (Constitutional Law and Human Rights) student, Tamil Nadu Dr Ambedkar Law University, Chennai.

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.60143/ijls.v8.i1.2022.70

Keywords:

Autonomy of Individuals, Caste Crimes, Criminal Justice System, Honour Killing, Hu-man Rights.

Abstract

The menace of inhumane barbaric crimes such as caste-based honour killings has been part of our society for a long time which is a blot on the dignity of an individual. Even though the NCRB statistics have only reported some of the cases, many cases regarding this go unreported, according to civil society organisations. Such crimes are common in our country and continue to pose a threat to the lives of individuals and the societal fabric at large. Despite various landmark judgements by the Supreme Court of India yet, the directions are not followed in spirit. Also, the Law Commission Report 2012 namely, Prevention of interference with the freedom of matrimonial alliances (in the name of honour and tradition): A suggested legal framework, to a great extent has been overlooked by the lawmakers in the State Legislature of Tamil Nadu. The researcher looks into diverse instances of honour killings that have taken place in the State, and other factors that impact the perpetrators’ criminal behaviour, the role played by the judiciary and the state machinery. The research goes ahead to suggest specific measures to be taken on behalf of the State, which justifies the requirement for a sui-generis law towards preventing and combating honour killings while improving the livelihood of the survivors.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

Downloads

Published

2023-08-17

How to Cite

M, K. C. (2023). Analysis of Caste-Based Honour Killings with Special Reference to Tamil Nadu. International Journal of Law and Social Sciences, 8(1), 60–69. https://doi.org/10.60143/ijls.v8.i1.2022.70

Issue

Section

Articles

References

Honour killings are on the rise in State: NGO, The hindu(Jan. 8, 2021), https://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Madurai/ honour-killings-are-on-the-rise-in-state-ngo/article33531924.ece (last visited Sep 15, 2022).

Sanhati Banerjee, Honour Killing: India’s Own Pandemic Of Casteist Patriarchy, Feminism in india(May. 6, 2020), https:// feminisminindia.com/2020/05/06/honour-killing-indias-pandemic-patriarchy/ (last visited Sep 15, 2022).

Arvind Narrain, Constitutionalism at 72, GauriLankesh news(Jan. 26, 2021), https://gaurilankeshnews.com/constitutional-ism-at-72/ (last visited Sep 15, 2022).

Shakti Vahini v. Union of India, (2018) 7 SCC 192.

S.M. Afzal Qadri, Ahmad Siddique’s Criminology, Penology and Victimology (Eastern Book Company 2017).

Honour Killings, PIB Delhi, https://pib.gov.in/PressReleaseIframePage.aspx?PRID=1540824 (last visited Sep. 15, 2022).

Lok Sabha Unstarred Question no. 2609, https://www.mha.gov.in/MHA1/Par2017/pdfs/par2019-pdfs/ls-09072019/2609.pdf (last visited Sep. 15, 2022).

Enact law to stop honour killing: NGO, The hindu(Nov. 22, 2019), https://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Madurai/enact-law-to-stop-honour-killing-ngo-madurai-nagapattinam/article30053623.ece (last visited Aug 28, 2021).

Ilangovan Rajasekaran, Elusive justice, FronTLine(Mar. 13, 2020), https://frontline.thehindu.com/cover-story/article30911095. ece (last visited Aug 28, 2021).

Upasana Sajeev, Kannagi-Murugesan Honour Killing Case: Madras High Court Commutes Death Sentence Of Brother, Ac-quits Two, LiveLaw (June. 8, 2022), https://www.livelaw.in/news-updates/madras-high-court-2003-kannagi-murugesan-hon-our-killing-death-sentence-commute-201136.

R. Arivanantham, Dalit youth Ilavarasan found dead, The Hindu, (July. 4, 2013), https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/ tamil-nadu/dalit-youth-ilavarasan-found-dead/article4881007.ece (last visited Aug 28, 2021).

Sowmya Sivakumar, Ilavarasan’s Death Was Definitely “Not a Suicide”, Says Doctor Who Examined Body, The Wire (Mar. 15, 2017), https://thewire.in/uncategorised/ilavarasan-death-not-suicide-says-doctor-who-conducted-autopsy (last visited Aug 28, 2021).

Pramod Kumar, PMK’s anti-Dalit rant in TN resembles Kerala’s “love jihad” theory-India News , Firstpost, FirsTposT(Dec. 03, 2012), https://www.firstpost.com/india/dharmapuri-violence-why-tn-could-become-a-hotbed-for-love-jihad-543446.html (last visited Aug 28, 2021).over an inter-caste marriage, is threatening to escalate communal hatred in the state.”,”container-title”:”Firstpost”,”note”:”section: India”,”title”:”PMK’s anti-Dalit rant in TN resembles Kerala’s ‘love jihad’ theory-India News, Firstpost”,”URL”:”https://www.firstpost.com/india/dharmapuri-violence-why-tn-could-become-a-hotbed-for-love-ji-had-543446.html”,”author”:[{“literal”:”Pramod Kumar”}],”accessed”:{“date-parts”:[[“2021”,8,28]]},”issued”:{“date-parts”: [[“2012”,12,3]]}}}],”schema”:”https://github.com/citation-style-language/schema/raw/master/csl-citation.json”}

Ilavarasan’s death was a case of suicide: CB-CID,The New Indian Express (Feb. 22, 2017), https://www.newindianexpress. com/states/tamil-nadu/2017/feb/22/ilavarasans-death-was-a-case-of-suicide-cb-cid-1573409.html (last visited Sep 16, 2022).

S. Saravanan, Dalit youth found dead on rail track was murdered, The Hindu, (July. 2, 2015), https://www.thehindu.com/news/ national/tamil-nadu/dalit-youth-found-dead-on-rail-track-was-murdered/article7376559.ece (last visited Aug 28, 2021).

Ilangovan Rajasekaran, In the name of honour, Frontline (Mar. 13, 2020), https://frontline.thehindu.com/cover-story/arti-cle30911076.ece (last visited Aug 28, 2021).

Staff Reporter, Gokulraj murder case: Madurai Special Court convicts 10, acquits five, The hindu(Mar. 5, 2022), https:// www.thehindu.com/news/national/tamil-nadu/gokulraj-murder-case-madurai-special-court-convicts-10-acquits-five/arti-cle65193031.ece (last visited Sep 16, 2022).

Ilangovan Rajasekaran, ‘Purity and honour,’Frontline (Mar. 13, 2020), https://frontline.thehindu.com/cover-story/arti-cle30911129.ece (last visited Aug 28, 2021).

Ilangovan Rajasekaran, Honour killing in the time of lockdown in Tamil Nadu, Frontline (Mar. 13, 2020), https://frontline. thehindu.com/dispatches/article31235723.ece (last visited Aug 28, 2021).

Ilangovan Rajasekaran, In a case of “honour killing” in Tamil Nadu, a boy from a Most Backward Caste group is hacked to death by relatives of the girl he loved, Frontline (Jan. 8, 2021), https://frontline.thehindu.com/dispatches/in-another-hon-our-killing-in-tamil-nadu-a-boy-from-a-most-backward-caste-group-is-hacked-to-death-by-relatives-of-the-girl-he-loved/ar-ticle33530087.ece (last visited Aug 28, 2021).

Uma Chakravarti & Maithreyi Krishnaraj, Gendering Caste: Through a Feminist Lens (SAGE Publications 2018).

Aisha Gill, Patriarchal Violence in the Name of “Honour,”1 International Journal of Criminal Justice Sciences (2006), http:// www.sascv.org/ijcjs/aisha.pdf (last visited Aug 27, 2021).

Stalin Rajangam, Aanavak Kolaikalin Kaalam (Kalachuvadu Publications 2016).

M S S Pandian, Caste in Tamil Nadu - II: Slipping Hegemony of Intermediate Castes, 48 Economic and Political Weekly 13 (2013). “After all, hegemony of any community, in the patriarchal imagination, is premised on men’s ability to control ‘its’ women and ‘protect’ them from outsiders. Cross-caste love cannot but be the casuality, when caste hegemony/ masculinity is under siege.”

Lata Singh v. State of UP, (2006) 5 SCC 475.

Id.

Id.

Id.

Arumugam Servai v. State of TN, (2011) 6 SCC 405.

Id.

Bhagwan Dass v. State of NCT, (2011) 6 SCC 396.

Id.

Id.

Vikas Yadav v. State of Uttar Pradesh, (2016) 9 SCC 541.

Id.

Shakti Vahini v. Union of India, (2018) 7 SCC 192.

Id.

Id.

Dilipkumar v. Government of TN, 2014 SCC OnLine Mad 7725.

Dilipkumar v. Government of TN, 2016 SCC OnLine Mad 2122.

Chinnasamy v. Deputy Superintendent of Police, Udumalpet, 2020 SCC OnLine Mad 1207.

Manu Sebastian, TN Caste Killing Case : Lapses In Investigation Helped Acquittal Of Prime Accused Chinnasamy, LiveLaw (June. 23, 2020), https://www.livelaw.in/top-stories/tn-caste-killing-case-lapses-in-investigation-helped-acquittal-of-prime-accused-chinnasamy-158767 (last visited Aug 31, 2021).

Poongkhulali B, TN Caste Killing Case : The Silences In Madras HC Judgment Acquitting Prime Accused, LiveLaw (June. 24, 2020), https://www.livelaw.in/columns/tn-caste-killing-case-the-silences-in-madras-hc-judgment-acquitting-prime-ac-cused-158850 (last visited Aug 31, 2021).

Law Commission Report, Prevention of Interference with the Freedom of Matrimonial Alliances (in the name of Honour and Tradition): A Suggested Legal FrameworkReport No.242 (Aug, 2012).