Khaps: Amend Hindu Marriage Act to ban same gotra, ‘gohand’ weddings

Deepender Deswal

Hisar, July 1

Taking up a decade-old demand for amendment to the Hindu Marriage Act (HMA), a number of khap panchayats have jointly submitted a suggestion to the Chief Minister, demanding a ban on marriages in the same “gotra”, same village and “gohand” village in the state.

Kandela khap pradhan Tek Ram Kandela, who presided over a meeting of various representatives of the khap panchayats in Jind today, said there were certain social traditions in North India, including Haryana and other states, which need to be given legal sanctity.

“As per norms, people of the same “gotra” and same village are treated as brothers and sisters. There cannot be a marriage between a youth and a girl who belong to the same “gotra” or are residents of the same village or “gohand”. Such matrimonial ties need to be banned under the law. Thus, there is a need to enact new provisions under the Act in accordance with the prevailing social laws and customs,” he asserted.

There must be a provision of consent from the parents of the bride and groom in solemnising marriages, he said. Enactment of new provisions as per societal norms would help in eradicating social evils from society. “By marrying into one’s own gotra, offspring are born weak because the couple are blood relatives,” he added.

Will help curb ‘honour’ killings

The khap panchayats have been seeking an amendment to the Hindu Marriage Act for about a decade and declaring marriages within the same “gotra”, same village and “bhaichara gotra” as illegal. They claim that this will help put an end to “honour” killings and other controversies surrounding such marriages that are socially unacceptable.

CM’s view on gotra marriage

Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar had supported the view of the khap panchayats three years ago during a marathon ‘Run for Youth Youth for Nation’ on the occasion of National Youth Day on January 12, 2020. Khattar had agreed with the views of the khap leaders that the same “gotra” marriages could lead to genetic disorder among offspring.