Question : HONOUR KILLINGS

(a) the number of cases in which the Union Government and the States have been issued notices by the National Commission for Women to protect the life and property of couples who have entered into inter-caste marriages;

(b) whether the Government proposes to amend the Constitution to deal with the incidents of honour killings;

(c) if so, the details thereof;

(d) whether the Government has consulted the States in this regard; and

(e) if so, the details thereof and the response of the States thereon?

MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF HOME AFFAIRS (SHRI R.P.N SINGH)

(a) to (e) As per information provided by National Commission for Women (NCW), in the current financial year 333 complaints on honour crime have been registered on basis of complaints of the victims and proceedings initiated in all of these cases. Apart from the above, the Commission has taken suo-moto cognizance in 11 cases of Honour Killings and initiated necessary action.

At present, the Government is not considering any amendment to the Constitution to deal with the incidents of honour killings. However, The Law Commission has submitted its 242nd Report on “Prevention of Interference with the Freedom of Matrimonial Alliance (in the name of Honour and Tradition) : A suggested Legal Framework” to the Ministry of Law and Justice in which it has advocated for a standalone legislation to curb the social evil of the caste councils / Panchayats interfering with the endangering the life and liberty of young persons marrying partners belonging to the same gotra or to a different caste / religion.