New Delhi: Demanding a separate law to check and deal with caste-related honour killings, the Tamizhaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) has approached the Supreme Court. The party, founded by actor-turned-politician Vijay, submitted before the court that existing legal provisions are insufficient to prevent honour killings and related crimes.
It was TVK general secretary for elections Aadhav Arjuna, who filed the petition on the matter, and this comes months after the murder of the 27-year-old Dalit software engineer Kavin Selvaganesh, India Today reported.
Kavin was murdered on July 27th by the brother of the woman with whom he had a relationship. The victim was hacked to death outside a hospital in Tirunelveli, and the accused is identified as Surjith. The accused and his sister belonged to the dominant Thevar community.
The accused’s parents were sub-inspectors in the Tamil Nadu police. Both were named in the FIR, suspended, and the father was arrested too.
Activists in the state say that honour killing cases do not end with Kavin’s. A Dalit rights group named ‘Evidence’ collected data, and it suggested that there were 80 caste-based honour killings in the state in the past 10 years alone. However, conviction rates in such cases are minute.
Activists say that only a dedicated law towards this would back accurate data collection, fast-track, witness protection and recognition of said crimes as a distinct category of violence.
Certain parties, like Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK), the CPI, and CPI(M), have approached the state government to make special legislation on honour killings.