Delhi HC judge S N Dhingra does some plain speaking on how police convert incidents of young men and women ‘eloping’ together into rape cases against the men.  Some social injustice in the name of social norms!

http://news.oneindia.in/2010/06/17/delhi-hc-slams-police-over-honour-killing-cases.html

New Delhi, Jun 17: In the wake of alarming and growing number of honour killing cases, the Delhi High Court has come down heavily upon the police for failing to protect people.

Referring to a massive hunt launched by the police in Mar 2010 to find Delhi police Commissioner's dog, that went missing, the court remarked, “You can search the entire city if a dog of your boss is lost but you can’t provide protection to the people. This is what you are. What to talk about humanity when you don’t have shame."

Slamming the police's practice of turning the girl's elopment cases into rape cases and putting the boy behind the bar, vacation judge Justice SN Dhingra said, “Its unfortunate that elopement cases are converted into rape cases. Your police is party in all cases of honour killings. You connive with parents and turn your face the other side. You send boys behind bars on rape charges and allow the parents to kill their daughter.

“How can you be so insensitive for a few bucks? In case of elopement, you register the case under section 376 (rape) of Indian Penal Code. You do not register case or take action where you should have done,” the judge said, adding that by putting men behind bars for marrying the woman they love the police were turning "normal citizens to criminals".

These observations came when the court was hearing a case, which was brought up by Delhi High Court Legal Services Aid Authority, about a man was sent to jail for eloping with a girl on a complaint by her parents alleging she has been raped.

The court heard that the girl, who is now pregnant, is all by herself now as her parents have abandoned her while the boy who loves her is in jail.

The High Court's observations on honour killing comes after a gruesome murder of a couple in Delhi was reported on Wednesday, Jun 16. A 19-year-old boy and her male friend were gagged, beaten up with iron roads and killed through electrocution by the girl's family for wanting to marry against the caste norms.