Site icon Law Faculty

Shakti Vahini v. Union of India

Shakti Vahini v. Union of India

DATE OF JUDGMENT: 27/03/2018

COURT: Supreme Court of India

JUDGES: Justice D. Misra

REFERENCE: WRIT PETITION (CIVIL) NO. 231 OF 2010

PARTIES

Petitioner: Shakti Vahini

Respondent: Union of India

SUBJECT: The judgment revolves around “honour killing” and the need to issue guidelines governing it.

FACTS: The petitioner organisation was appointed by the National Commission for women to research on Honour killing in Haryana and Uttar Pradesh. On concluding the research, the petitioner organisation filled a writ of mandamus before the SC to direct the Central and State governments to take appropriate measures to prevent “Honour killing”

IMPORTANT PROVISIONS

The Indian Constitution

ISSUES:
  1. Whether the State and the Central government effectively prevents the practice of Honour Killing in the society?
JUDGEMENT:

The petitioner organisation upon completion of its research in Honour Killing found that such practices were prevalent in many States in the Country and was considered as a proper punishment for those young couples who marry outside their caste. Their reports concluded that, honour killing happens for various reasons which may include having sex before marriage, getting pregnant before marriage, refusing arranged marriage, marrying a person who belongs to lower caste, getting raped etc.

Therefore, the petitioner organisation prayed before the SC to issue directions to the Center and the State to immediately take cognisance of the matter.

However, the respondents contended that, implementation of measures to prevent honour killing is undertaken efficiently in district levels and filed reports for the same.

Upon hearing the parties to the case the Court held that, the present stage of implementation is not sufficient to prevent such cruel practices and hence issued guidelines to prevent the same, which may include:

CONCLUSION: Honour killing is a social evil which undermines the development of a society. Judicial pronouncements as in the present case and penal laws acts as a tool to evict such evils from the society.

Exit mobile version