Couples killed: less power for village councils India

chennai - Indian village councils that impose severe penalties for marriages between people from different castes are punished. The Supreme Court of India has ruled that the councils should no longer function as a court.

'Across the country there are more and more cases of couples being attacked or murdered because they married outside their caste,' said a human rights lobbyist.

Approximately five hundred people, mainly women, have been killed since 'honor revenge' since 2014, according to government figures. The murders are often committed by family members who believe that the relationship is embarrassing to the community. The murders are often ordered by the village councils, which consist of unelected men of a particular clan or caste.