Rajasthan to now have death penalty for 'honour killing'

The Rajasthan Assembly on Monday passed a bill providing for death penalty for those convicted of committing hate crimes on couples in the name of "maintaining honour and tradition".

The Rajasthan Prohibition of Interference with the Freedom of Matrimonial Alliances in the Name of Honour and Tradition Bill, 2019, provides for death penalty or life imprisonment for rest of their natural life for "whoever causes death of a couple or either of them on the basis that marriage of such couple has dishonoured, or brought disrepute to, the caste, community or family".

A fine up to Rs 5 lakh can also be slapped on the guilty.

Even those injuring a couple or either of them will be liable for rigorous imprisonment of a term not less than 10 years, or even life imprisonment and with fine that may extend to Rs 3 lakh.

Even a simple injury to a couple or either of them will also entail a jail term of three to five years and a fine up to Rs 2 lakh.

Those holding assemblies to condemn inter-caste or inter-community marriages in the name of family honour will also be held accountable and punished, under the new law.

Prohibiting any person or group to gather with such an intention to discuss or condemn any marriage, not prohibited by law, "on the basis that such marriage has dishonoured the caste or community tradition or brought disrepute to all or any of the persons forming part of the assembly or the family or the people of the locality concerned", it held any such gathering to be unlawful.

Any person organising such assembly and every participant could face a jail term not less than six months and up to five years, as well as a fine up to Rs 1 lakh.

The bill was tabled in the Assembly on July 30 by Law Minister Shanti Dhariwal.

( With inputs from IANS )