[Udumalai Sankar Honour Killing] Madras High Court Permits Wife To Conduct Honorary Meeting To Raise Awareness About Inter-Caste Marriages
The Madras High Court has permitted Kowsalya, wife of Sankar who was hacked to death for marrying from a different caste, to conduct a meeting in memory of Sankar. Kowsalya had approached the court after State denied permission for the meeting citing law and order problems. Justice G Chandrasekharan noted that the offense of Honour killing was increasing every day and that...
The Madras High Court has permitted Kowsalya, wife of Sankar who was hacked to death for marrying from a different caste, to conduct a meeting in memory of Sankar. Kowsalya had approached the court after State denied permission for the meeting citing law and order problems.
Justice G Chandrasekharan noted that the offense of Honour killing was increasing every day and that honour killing was not eradicated in Tamil Nadu.
The offence of honour killing takes place every now and then. It is not as though there is no honour killing takes place in Tamil Nadu and it is totally eradicated. It is not in dispute that petitioner is a victim to honour killing, that her husband was murdered for the reason that he belongs to Scheduled Caste and petitioner belongs to Most Backward Caste.
In such a situation, the court noted that the scope of starting the Sankar Social Justice Trust and organising a meeting to disseminate information against honour killing and promoting inter caste marriage was laudable. The court added that such object should not be prevented and prohibited by the court.
Now, the scope of starting Sankar Social Justice Trust and for organizing present meeting is to disseminate information against honour killing and also to promote intercaste marriage. It is a laudable object and we cannot prevent/prohibit the meeting to be organized by Sankar Social Justice Trust on 12.03.2023 at 5 P.M. at the venue nearby Kumaralingam Bus Stop, for the above said reasons.
In 2016, Sankar and his wife Kowsalya were attacked in broad daylight by a gang of three armed men. Kowsalya sustained injuries, and Sankar died on the spot. Kowsalya belonged to the Most Backward Community and Sankar belonged to the Scheduled Caste community which led to strong opposition from Kowsalya’s family and the subsequent attack on the couple.
The District Court, finding it to be a case of honour killing, sentenced the six accused, including Kowsalya’s father to death. On Sankar’s second death anniversary, Kowsalya started the Sankar Social Justice Trust for helping victims of caste murder. The Trust also aims at creating awareness of inter-caste marriages and promoting the same in society.
Case Title: Kowsalya v. State
Citation: 2023 LiveLaw (Mad) 85