New Delhi: 21 states and Union Territories have extended support to the union government so that it could bring an effective legislation to check instances of honour killings.
The Union law ministry in its affidavit has told the Supreme Court that besides Uttar Pradesh, Punjab and Haryana, Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Chhattisgarh, Goa, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Kerala, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Odisha, Rajasthan,West Bengal and UT's like Chandigarh, Dadra and Nager Haveli, Daman and Diu, Lakshwadeep and Puducherry, have supported the “Prohibition of interference with the freedom of matrilineal alliances bill.”
Haryana, Punjab and Uttar Pradesh have been known for marking poor sex ratio and high incidence of gender inequality and are counted among the sites of gruesome instances of honour killings in the recent past. All the three states had earlier opposed a central legislation against honour killings.
In response to a writ petition by Shakti Vahini - Law ministry will be coming up with the affidavit that is scheduled to be heard on November 19.
The penal provision for such unlawful assembly was proposed from six months to a year's custody and a fine of Rs 10,000. The bill even included that criminal intimidation of the couple or their families would invite imprisonment between one to seven years with a fine of Rs 30,000.
