The government is planning to amend the Special Marriage Act and relevant laws to curb the menace of honour killings of young couples and kangaroo court rulings, which have seen a spurt in recent months.
"We propose an amendment to the Special Marriage Act to reduce the period of notice (required for court marriages) from 30 days to zero. No notice period is provided for that," Law Minister M Veerappa Moily said in Kolkata on Sunday.
Warning caste-based panchayats and similar groups against harassing couples marrying against family wishes, he said, "Whatever the association of the group, if they parade these couple naked or the girl naked or try to harass them or effect a boycott against them in the village, that is also made punishable".
Moily had earlier said that as per the amendment, bodies like caste panchayats can be brought under the ambit of the crime as they are accused in many instances of ordering killings in the name of protecting honour of a community.
According to the ministry officials, caste panchayats ordering the killings can also be accused of the crime and all members of such bodies can be deemed guilty, whether or not they have favoured the killing.
On June 23, Moily said the government has drafted a law that will seek to put an end to such 'extra-judicial' actions.
"The home ministry has already drafted a Bill, which has been vetted. It will be a tight law to put an end to such crimes," he had said.
