The High Court, in the order, said the state government’s argument that the accused can abscond or tamper with the prosecution evidence in case he is granted bail cannot be brushed aside lightly. (Representational Image)
Directing the trial court to decide a 2017 case of honour killing within six months, the Punjab and Haryana High Court has said such cases were increasing and the persons responsible should be dealt with sternly.
The observation was made by a single bench of the High Court while dismissing the bail plea of a Hisar resident, who allegedly killed his sister for marrying a man belonging to a different caste last year.
“Cases of honour killing are increasing day by day, which is a very unhealthy trend in our society. This tendency needs to be curbed. The persons indulging in honour killings need to be dealt with sternly to send a message around that people indulging in such type of crimes shall be held accountable for their such wrongful acts,” Justice Harminder Singh Madaan has said in the order.
The accused, Ashok Kumar, was booked for the murder of his sister Kiran Rani in February last year on the complaint of Rohtash Kumar, a Hisar resident.
Rohtash had married Rani, who belonged to the Jat community, in 2015 but had later returned to her home for further studies. She had told Rohtash that she would be able to convince her family regarding the marriage.
However, in January last year, Rohtash allegedly received a phone call from the accused Ashok Kumar who threatened to kidnap him from Haryana. According to the police complainant, he came to know that Ashok Kumar was brother of Rani and Rani had been killed by her family.
The High Court, in the order, said the state government’s argument that the accused can abscond or tamper with the prosecution evidence in case he is granted bail cannot be brushed aside lightly.