The representatives of 23 Khaps in Haryana’s Jind at a meeting on Sunday sought an amendment in the Hindu Marriage Act, 1955, to ban the marriages within the same village and gotra (sub-caste) in the State and make live-in relationships illegal.
‘Against social norms’
Majra Khap chief Gurvinder Singh Sandhu, also secretary of five-member co-ordination committee for the Khaps, said marriages within the same village and gotra (sub-caste) were not allowed in these parts of rural Haryana and the young boys and girls marrying against the social norms led to disputes. “The government giving police protection to such couples encouraged the practice. Such marriages are not acceptable in most parts of Haryana, especially Jind. The live-in relationships also cause social disorder and must not be allowed. Parents consent be mandatory for love marriages as well,” said Mr. Sandhu. He said the Khaps across Haryana had been demanding ban on marriages within same village and gotra (sub-caste) for long, but the government had failed to listen to them. He alleged that the government wanted to weaken the Khaps which, in fact, acted as government’s associates by facilitating settlement of minor disputes at community level. ‘No legal separation’ Majra Khap spokesperson Samundra Singh said the courts had recognised certain rights of live-in partners at par with the married couples, but there was no provision for legal separation in such relationships similar to a divorce in a marriage. The need for better co-ordination among Khaps was also stressed at the meeting and a 23-member president board was constituted for making collective decisions on important matters.
