Khap menace: on interference in relationships between adults

It is a sad comment that courts need to keep curbing(control/restrain-नियंत्रण) interference (intervene /obtrusion-हस्तक्षेप) in love and marriage

Each time the Supreme Court feels impelled (force/compel-प्ररित करना) to remind khap panchayats and the society at large that they have no business interfering in the life choices of individuals regarding marriage and love, it is an implicit(vague/obscure-अस्पष्ट) commentary on our times. The frequency with which one hears the court’s warnings against groups and individuals obstructing(hindering/detaining-निरोधक) inter-faith or inter-caste relationships reaffirms (confirm / homologate-पुष्टि करना) the fact that the social *milieu(environment/circumstance-परिवेश) continues to be under the *sway(clout/influence-बोलबाला) of the medieval-minded. The court’s latest observations that khap panchayats should not act as though they are conscience-keepers of society and that no one should interfere in relationships between adults came while it was hearing a writ petition seeking a ban on such community organisations and guidelines to put an end to “honour killings”. In 2011, the highest court termed such khaps “kangaroo courts”, declared them illegal(illicit/unlawful-अवैध) and wanted them *stamped out (exterminate / extinguish-खत्म करना) ruthlessly (cruelly/ merciless-बेरहमी). Similar observations were made in other cases too, some of them in the context of “honour killings”. 

It is a grave(serious/solemn-गंभीर) misfortune(bad luck) that parents and self-appointed guardians of social *mores(custom/tradition-आचार-विचार) continue to use coercion (force/ compulsion-विवशता) and harassment (persecution / oppression-उत्पीड़न), and even resort(use) to murderous violence, as a means to enforce (impose/apply-लागू करना) their exclusionary and feudal prejudices (bias/ partiality-पक्षपात). The recent murder of Ankit Saxena, a photographer who was in love with a Muslim girl, allegedly(reputedly/purportedly-कथित तौर पर) by members of her family, is one more extreme indication of families choosing the penal (punitive-दंडात्मक) consequences(outcome/result) of violence over the perceived dishonour caused by an inter-religious relationship. While the popular narrative situates community pride as a source of unconscionable(unethical/immoral-अनुचित) violence in rural India, such murders are a reality in cities and among educated and presumably (probably) socially advanced sections too.

The other dimension is that these khap organisations in north India seek to enforce age-old taboos such as the prohibition(ban/debar-निषेध) on sagothra marriages among Hindus. Their *grouse (jeremiad/complaint-शिकायत) is that the present law on Hindu marriage allows sapinda relationships up to a particular degree; they would prefer a limitless bar on any degree of such relationship in lineal(near/close-नज़दीकी) ascendancy (right/ supremacy-प्रभुत्व), which would prevent any marriage with one presumed to be descended from an ancestor(antecedent/forefather-पूर्वज) belonging to the same gothra. 

Such views can only be eradicated (eliminate / finish-समाप्त) with a change in social attitudes. The Law Commission in 2012 prepared a draft bill to prohibit interference in marriage alliances (coalition/ union). Key provisions that seek to address the problem of khap panchayats in this draft say such informal groups would be treated as an ‘unlawful assembly’ and decisions that amount to harassment, social boycott, discrimination or incitement (excitement/stimulation-उत्तेजना) to violence should be punishable with a minimum sentence. Whether the solution is social transformation or legislative change, high-handed mediation or interference should brook(tolerate/allow-सहन) no sympathy(pity/compassion-सहानुभूति).

*milieu :- a person's social environment(परिवेश)

*sway :- rule or control(शासन)

*stamp out :- kill/finish(खत्म करना)

*mores :- the essential or characteristic customs and conventions of a community(आचार-विचार)

*grouse :- a grumble or complaint(शिकायत)