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Madras: The Madras High Court last week directed the Tamil Nadu police to grant permission to one S Kousalya to conduct a public meeting in memory of her first husband, Sankar, who was hacked to death in 2016 in a case of ‘honour killing’ [Kowsalya v The State].
Justice G Chandrasekharan directed the Tiruppur district police to allow Kousalya to conduct a meeting near a bus stop in Udumalpet on March 12, the death anniversary of her first husband Sankar.
While the Tamil Nadu government had opposed Kousalya’s petition on the ground that such a meeting might lead to law and order problems, the High Court dismissed the State’s apprehension.
The Court said that Kousalya, a victim of caste based violence, had chosen to raise her voice against such violence and honour killing, especially since instances of honour killing continue to take place across Tamil Nadu.
“Considered the rival submissions and perused the records. The offence of honour killing takes place every now and then. It is not as though there is no honour killing takes place in Tamil Nadu and it is totally eradicated. It is not in dispute that petitioner is a victim to honour killing, that her husband was murdered for the reason that he belongs to Scheduled Caste and petitioner belongs to Most Backward Caste. Now, the scope of starting Sankar Social Justice Trust and for organizing present meeting is to disseminate information against honour killing and also to promote intercaste marriage. It is a laudable object and we cannot prevent/prohibit the meeting to be organized by Sankar Social Justice Trust on 12.03.2023,” the High Court said.
Kousalya, an Engineering student from the dominant Thevar community, had married Sankar Velusamy, a Dalit student in the same college. On March 13, 2016, she and Sankar were attacked on account of their inter-caste marriage. While Sankar died on the spot, Kowsalya sustained severe injuries.
On Sankar’s second death anniversary, she founded a Trust in his name to raise awareness against caste based violence and to encourage inter-caste unions, to make inter-caste couples aware of their legal rights etc.
Advocates NGR Prasad, and R Thirumoorthy appeared for Kowsalya, the petitioner.
Government Advocate on the criminal side, S Santosh appeared for the respondent Tamil Nadu government.
