India to finally end BAN on inter-caste marriage?

A centuries-old ban on marriage between different members of India's rigid caste system has been overturned by an influential tribal council.

Previously Hindus in India, who live according to a complicated system of classification, had to marry according to prohibitive social guidelines.

But now a council - known as a panchayat - in Haryana, northwestern India, has relaxed its marriage policy, allowing 36 different castes in the area to marry freely.

The matches will still have to be approved by the bride and groom's parents, but has been hailed as a 'positive development' by campaigners in the region, the Telegraph reported.

Although the move will significantly widen the pool of potential matches, a separate ban on marrying too close to home still stands, banning matches between anyone from the same village or the same 'gotra' (an extended family unit similar to a clan).

Relaxing the rules: Thanks to the changes, many people in Haryana, northern Indian, will be able to marry outside their caste

Victim: Manjit Singh, pictured, was murdered after eloping for a forbidden marriage

In the past, those who defied the ban have been brutally punished. In September a 23-year-old student and his girlfriend, 20, were beheaded and beaten to death respectively for having a forbidden relationship.

Last year two parents who poisoned and strangled their 19-year-old daughter for eloping were caught by police halfway through burning her corpse. Council leaders have denied ordering 'honour' killings such as these.

The leader of the Satrol khap panchayat, which has relaxed its ban, said that the change was thanks to declining numbers of suitable partners for young people in the area. The council is the biggest in the area.

Inder Singh said: 'The number of unmarried youth has increased in past few decades and people were forced to bring brides from outside the state. We decided to allow inter-caste marriages, provided both the families agree to the proposal.'

According to the Times of India, the new rules will apply to across the area controlled by the panchayat, which covers 42 villages which contain 36 different castes. Around 60 per cent of the population, which is spread out over 100 square miles, belong to the Jat ethnic group who are subject to the marriage rules.

The Satrol khap panchayat is not the first council to relax its marriage ban, but is one of the most significant. Some are hailing the move as the beginning of a much more widespread change in attitudes.

Sanjoy Sachdev, who founded a group called Love Commandos group which helps couples elope to get round the bans, praised the move.

He said: 'It’s a positive development. It’s a beginning. Rome was not built in a day. A love revolution is fast taking over the country.'

-Dailymail