Misogyny, Misrule, Murder: Inside the world of Khap Councils

There are some fundamental rights and liberties awarded to every Indian under the Indian Constitution. But when it comes to Khap, these rights can sometimes be more of an advisory from a foreign land rather than a legal safeguard. 

In many parts of north India, Khap Panchayats — informal caste-based councils — wield significant social influence. Though they have no legal authority, their rulings often override formal law in practice. 

One decision by a Khap recently went viral online. Last week, a Chaudhary community meet or Khap panchayat in Jalore, Rajasthan had banned smartphones for ‘daughters-in-law’ and young girls. As bizarre as the announcement was, its reasonings were even more absurd. Speaking to PTI, Sujnaram Chaudhary, the president of the 14 pattis (subdivisions) had claimed it is being done for the ‘eyesight’ of children. ‘Daughters-in-law’ leave their children with smartphones, so on and so forth.

After intense public backlash, the decision was taken back.

But not all Khap diktats are limited to the realm of absurdity. Some can be dangerous, even lethal, for girls and women who find themselves targeted by Khap for any real or imagined crime against ‘culture’. 

Tradition Without Authority

Historically, Khap Panchayats emerged as village bodies intended to mediate local disputes. Today, however, they are largely patriarchal assemblies dominated by men. They base rulings on “honour,” caste norms, and rigid ideas of family and gender roles.

Despite lacking statutory power, these councils regularly issue orders that conflict with constitutional protections. 

In 2018, the Supreme Court of India affirmed that Khap Panchayats cannot prevent adult marriages. For the hearings, the apex court had directed state governments to identify areas with honour killings or Khap Panchayat activity in the past five years.

The Home Ministry reported around 145 honour killings between 2017-2019, but this is widely seen as an undercount. And not all honour killings can be directly proven to be tied to Khap. 

In Shakti Vahini v. Union of India, the Supreme Court ruled that honour killings and similar “honour crimes” are serious violations of fundamental rights. It held that every individual has the constitutional right to choose their life partner regardless of caste, clan, religion, or community pressures. Interference by Khap Panchayats or similar bodies in such personal decisions is unconstitutional and illegal. The court observed that Khap Panchayats have no legal status or authority to enforce social norms or punish people for exercising their rights. Actions such as intimidation, punishment or violence in the name of “honour” are ordinary crimes under the Indian Penal Code and must be treated as such. 

Meanwhile, the 2011 Supreme Court case Arumugam Servai v. State of Tamil Nadu took a strong stand against Khap Panchayats, the informal village councils that often interfere in people’s personal lives, especially targeting inter-caste couples. The court called these bodies illegal “kangaroo courts” and warned they must be “ruthlessly stamped out” to prevent honour killings and violence. While rooted in a caste dispute, the ruling sends a broader message against any societal meddling in personal choices, echoing earlier cases like the Manoj-Babli honour killing case. Essentially, the court made it clear that individuals have the right to choose whom they marry, and the law will not tolerate violent enforcement of social norms.

Diktats on Dress, Devices and  Behaviour

Khap interference often extends into women’s everyday lives. In 2013, a council in Hisar, Haryana, banned girls from wearing jeans and T-shirts and using mobile phones, claiming such habits led to “moral decay.”

Similar orders emerged in Muzaffarnagar, Uttar Pradesh (2014–2015), targeting clothing and mobile use, citing prevention of “immoral behaviour.”

Khap councils often justify their restrictions as protective measures: preventing elopements, avoiding “temptation,” or curbing social evils. In practice, these orders enforce control over women’s independence.

In Haryana, villagers claimed girls should not use mobile phones as communication could lead to elopements. Similarly, in Isaipur Kheri near Sonipat (2018), girls were barred from wearing jeans or carrying phones. Such rules infringe on personal safety, educational access, and autonomy. These interventions have little legal basis but remain enforceable through social pressure, making resistance difficult without outside support.

Marriage and ‘Honour’

Khap diktats around marriage are among the most dangerous. While the Supreme Court has upheld the right of adults to marry, councils continue to oppose marriages across castes or even within the same gotra. 

Some Khap panchayats have even gone so far as to call for legal changes to regulate marriages.

For example, in 2025 Khaps in Haryana submitted a memorandum to the state government urging amendments to the Hindu Marriage Act to ban live‑in relationships, require parental consent for love marriages, and stop marriages within the same village or same clan (gotra).

In 2014, Khap panchayats in western Uttar Pradesh even went as far as to suggest that the Supreme Court had no right to intervene in matters of marriage choice, particularly when it comes to couples from the same clan. At Mundbhar village, a Khap leader openly challenged the apex court’s orders that “anyone can marry anybody anywhere,” insisting they had “always been opposed to marriages within the same clan and will continue to do so,” and telling the court it should be “careful and not get into this mess”. 

He went on to issue a chilling veiled threat to couples who defy community or parental approval, saying that if young people “go astray and marry on their own… their parents will decide who they marry. If not, then the families of both the boy and the girl will be troubled and then the couple will be killed or they will be beaten up.”

The influence of Khap Panchayats is a contested terrain. Legal rulings and activism challenge misogyny, but deep-rooted social power persists, especially in rural areas.

While there are small wins sometimes, such as the recent Jalore diktat which was taken back, the power of Khap remains unchallenged in rural areas.