Adhering to a Supreme Court order on honour killing, issued earlier this year, the Odisha home department today laid down guidelines for combating the menace and asked top officers to take serious action against those found guilty of the crime.
The Supreme Court, in a judgment in March this year, put in place a slew of preventive, remedial and punitive guidelines against khap panchayats and communal assemblies that target inter-caste and inter-religious couples.
All crimes related to honour killing will invite serious consequence under the law, additional chief secretary of the home department, Asit Tripathy, said.
"The guidelines or the Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), laid down for the district collectors and Superintendents of police (SPs), proposes preventive and remedial measures to stop the menace," he said.
The apex court, in its order, also asked the states to take steps to identify districts, sub-divisions and villages, where such crimes and khap panchayat meetings have been reported in the past.
The home department directed the SPs to ensure that the officers-in-charge of all police stations exercise caution while dealing with cases of inter-caste and inter-faith marriages.
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"Any information about a proposed gathering of khap panchayats received by any police officer should be immediately shared with superior officers and district superintendents of police, who can then take steps to prevent such gatherings or meetings by talking to the individuals concerned ," one of the guidelines stated.
The SOP also said that such meetings, if video-recorded, could be used as evidence, if need be.
"The inspector-in-charge of police station shall forthwith lodge an FIR and take prompt action under appropriate provisions of law under direct and personal supervision of a top officer, who is leading the investigation," the home department said in its guidelines.
Despite dissuasion, if a khap meeting takes place, a senior police officer will have to be present at the spot to see that no such decision was taken which may cause any harm to a couple or members of their family, it maintained.
The trial in honour killing cases should be undertaken by designated court on a day-to-day basis and preferably concluded within six months from the date of taking cognizance of the offence, the home department order stated.
The SOP also warned of action against district and police officers, who fail to take timely measures.
"Departmental action shall be taken against officers for deliberate negligence, misconduct and failure to observe the aforesaid directions as per service rules," it added.