Chennai: The Madras high court on Tuesday impleaded Union ministry of law and justice as a party respondent in a public interest litigation, which sought a new legislation to prevent honour killing.
When the PIL from Vaaraki came up for hearing before the first bench, assistant solicitor general (ASG) placed a communication before the court from the Union ministry of home affairs dated September 23 stating that the legislative department of the ministry of law and justice was examining the 242nd report of the Law Commission with a view to bring about a standalone legislation to combat “honour killing”. He suggested that the ministry of home affairs really has not much to do with the issue and the ministry of law and justice should instead be impleaded as a party. In view of this, the bench impleaded ministry of law and justice as a party respondent. “The respondent will keep us abreast about the progress made on the issue of standalone legislation”, the bench added.
The ASG also stated that an advisory was sent by the ministry of home affairs to all the home secretaries of the states on April 1, 2010, with regard to the crimes against scheduled castes and scheduled tribes. Apart from this, the subsequent communications addressed on April 22, 2013 for increasing the women personnel in the police force and for setting up investigative units to deal with the crimes against women in select police districts with regard to the SC/STs (Prevention of Atrocities) Amendment Act have been referred to.
The bench said, “We do believe that emphasizing the importance of these aspects by re-circulating the relevant materials to the concerned police officers is one method of improving awareness. The state government will accordingly act in terms thereto and place their affidavit on record”. The judicial academy was also conducting programmes for sensitization of the police on various aspects and this was one aspect on which a programme should be organized by the judicial academy for sensitization of the police force, the bench pointed out.
Citing the directions of the Supreme Court with regard to preventing honour killing, the bench said these directions should also be circulated by the police department. “We are conscious of the fact that there has to be a social change in the thinking process, but the sensitivity of the police would also make the society more aware and law abiding on issues like this.
The fact that parents and immediate relatives are often responsible for what is happening is the reflection of the society as it moves towards more modern industrialized State. The police is also a part of the same society, and thus, sensitization plays a very important role”, the bench added and posted to December 15, further hearing of the case.
