The Karnataka assembly has passed a groundbreaking bill to curb hate crimes in the name of 'honour and tradition', providing legal protections for adults choosing their partners.
The bill, titled the Karnataka Freedom of Choice in Marriage and Prevention and Prohibition of Crimes in the Name of Honour and Tradition Bill, 2026, aims to confront social practices that lead to violence against couples.
According to the bill, consent between two adults is sufficient for marriage and does not require approval from families or communities.
The legislation broadens the definition of 'crimes in the name of honour or tradition' to include social and economic retaliation, such as forcing couples or their families to leave their homes or denying access to markets or places of worship.
The bill also criminalises symbolic acts used to stigmatise couples, including conducting symbolic disownment rituals against living individuals and coercing couples into accepting false familial identities.
Causing grievous harm attracts at least three years' imprisonment along with fines that may extend to ₹3 lakh, while causing death through any means or committing any such act that results in death of a couple or either of them or any person in the name of 'honour' shall be punished with minimum imprisonment for a term of five years.
The state is required to provide protection to couples facing threats, and the legislation mandates the creation of safe houses across districts for persons whose rights under section 3 of the Act are at risk.
