Karnataka Unveils Draft Law Targeting ‘Honour’ Crimes, Safeguarding Choice in Marriage

Overview

• The Karnataka draft bill defines a wide spectrum of honour-linked offences that interfere with adults’ marital choices, and prohibits assemblies of five or more convened to judge or condemn a marriage.
• Punishments include a minimum five-year term for deaths in the name of honour, ten years to life for grievous hurt, two to five years for other honour crimes, with offences designated as cognisable and non-bailable.
• Victim safeguards require immediate SDM and police response, police protection within six hours, shelter homes with privacy, safe houses in every district, and a 60‑day target for investigation and charge‑sheeting.
• Adults need no family or community consent to marry; couples may file an optional declaration with the district magistrate that is sent to police, with third‑party action against the couple barred.
• The bill creates an aggravated offence for sexual intercourse by false promise of marriage in inter‑caste cases with penalties of at least five years up to life, allows for fast‑track court notification, and remains a draft to be tabled in the next legislative session following recent reported violence.