Overview

• On August 6, VCK president Thol. Thirumavalavan, CPI(M) state secretary P. Shanmugam and CPI state secretary R. Mutharasan delivered a joint memorandum to Chief Minister M. K. Stalin urging enactment of a dedicated law
• The memorandum cites hundreds of caste-based violence deaths over the past decade driven by social coercion from dominant groups, kangaroo courts and notions of honour and caste purity
• Leaders drew on past frameworks including the 2010 NCW draft bill, the 2012 Law Commission report, a 2015 private member bill in the state assembly and Rajasthan’s 2019 honour-killings statute
• Key provisions sought include defining honour killings as a distinct offence, appointing special public prosecutors, fast-tracking trials, securing victim compensation and shifting the burden of proof onto accused perpetrators
• The Tamil Nadu Congress Committee’s SC wing held a one-day fast at Sathyamurthi Bhavan to press the demand after the Tirunelveli murder, but Stalin has made no firm legislative commitment