CHENNAI: Expressing displeasure at honour killings in the state, the Madras High Court on Friday granted permission to Kausalya, whose husband Shankar was murdered over the inter-caste marriage, to hold an event commemorating his death anniversary.
Terming Sankar Social Justice Trust’s objective to hold the event and “disseminate” information against honour killing and promote inter-caste marriage “laudable”, Justice G Chandrasekharan said, “The offence of honour killing takes place every now and then. It is not as though there is no honour killing taking place in Tamil Nadu and that it is totally eradicated. It is not in dispute that the petitioner is a victim of honour killing, that her husband was murdered for the reason that he belonged to the Scheduled Caste [community] and the petitioner to the Most Backward Caste [community].”
Setting aside Udumalpet DSP’s order rejecting the application for permission to hold the event on March 12, 2023 at Kumaralingam bus stop in Udumalpet, the judge said the court cannot prevent or prohibit the meeting. The judge directed the DSP to grant permission for the meeting by imposing conditions that are usually imposed. Kausalya’s husband Shankar was hacked to death by a gang arranged by her parents in 2016 after they got married.
Government advocate S Santhosh opposed the petition saying that law and order issues would crop up if the meeting was allowed as he said Shankar’s brother and his villagers had objected to it.