The Tamil Nadu government has announced the formation of a commission to frame measures for the prevention of caste killings, headed by retired Supreme Court judge KN Basha.
In the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly on Friday, 17 October, Chief Minister MK Stalin said the commission will include legal experts, anthropologists, and other progressive voices to make suitable recommendations on the issue.
“The commission will gather the views of all sections, including political movements, legal experts, social activists, and affected people, and provide suitable recommendations on this subject. Based on that, the Tamil Nadu government assures that it will take necessary steps to enact an appropriate law to prevent honour killings,” the Chief Minister said.
Announcing the decision, Stalin added that Tamil heritage was rooted in the egalitarian principles espoused by Thiruvalluvar and Avvaiyar.
The announcement comes in the wake of the murder of 24-year-old Ramachandran in Dindigul by his father-in-law. Ramachandran had married 21-year-old Aarathi three months earlier. He belonged to the Naickar community, a grouping of Backward and Most Backward Classes in Tamil Nadu, while Aarathi was from the Kallar community, a dominant Backward Class in the state.
This was the third caste killing reported in Tamil Nadu within four months. In July, IT employee Kavin Selvaganesh was hacked to death in Tirunelveli, and in September, 28-year-old Vairamuthu was killed in Mayiladuthurai, both allegedly over relationships outside their caste.
Following Kavin’s death, Left parties and the Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi had jointly written to the Chief Minister demanding a special law to protect inter-caste couples.
Similar demands have been raised multiple times over the years. In 2010, the National Commission for Women (NCW) proposed a draft law titled The Prevention of Crimes in the Name of ‘Honour’ & Tradition Bill.
In 2015, CPI(M) legislative group leader A Soundararajan introduced a private member’s bill titled Prevention of Honour Killings in the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly. Justice V Ramasubramanian of the Madras High Court had also recommended several measures, including special cells in every district, 24x7 helplines, and integration with the Crime and Criminal Tracking Network & Systems (CCTNS).
In 2022, the Dalit Human Rights Defenders Network, a coalition of anti-caste activists and organisations, submitted a people’s draft to the Chief Minister, proposing legal protections not just for inter-caste marriages but also for couples in inter-caste relationships.