Honor Killing : Daunting blotch of contemporary India


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Honour killings, crimes which befalls under the socio-cultural ambit which is deemed to have breached the ‘honour code’ of a household or community. Women who are the worst sufferers of this practise due to rigid patriarchy and socio-cultural prejudices. A searing and grievous Violation of Human Rights and every International Treaty for the protection of individuals. A blotch on Indian society and with the escalation of such crimes have made India as a country, a biased, unjust and unsafe nation for the women. With laws nationally and internationally, this practise should be banished at the earliest.



Honour killing also known as shame killing or customary killing upon to those, who has bought disgrace to a particular community or a family. Thenceforth a murder committed in order to save what is considered as “honour" of one’s clan and to compensate or punish the offender is called honour killing. Coupled with the evidence, the statistics paint a compelling view of increase in these activities, majorly in north Indian states of Punjab, Haryana , UP and surrounding areas, worst hit section f the society is if women, who are to be in a Courteous and honourable conduct.

The reasons for them are the rigid patriarchal approach coupled with the misinterpreted legitimacy to oppress women. Along with stringent social and cultural dogmas including the caste system: interclass marriage, that which stimulate unsafe and hostility towards what is deemed to be “the weaker sex”.

During initial years, honour killing was neglected cases in the Indian judicial system and had no comprehensive provisions but with times it adapted and adopted various amendments also Judgements through courts had reiterated that killing any person, even in the name of ‘honour’ is the violation of the constitution of India and is a punishable offense. Various laws are being introduced and are in their latent stage. Nonetheless there are plenty of international rights which are pertinent to human rights and individual integrity. International law obligates states to protect women from gender-based violence, including by family members, and to disqualify "honour" as a legal defence for acts of violence against women. Honour killing is a brutal crime disregarding every article in the International Convention on Human Rights (1948); Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (1979); Convention of Civil and Political Rights (1966) amongst others.

A heinous crime against the whole humanity, and strict actions should be taken. The customary laws should not countermand the codified laws in matters of such heinous atrocities like ‘honour killing’. Thence the penal actions should be imposed seriously over the peccants under various provisions of Indian Penal Code, 1862, and Constitution of India. Such stratagem will indubitably help to reduce this deluge of honour killings in India and fill in the lacunae where atrocities and barbarism thrives.

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