“KANGAROO COURTS”

At the time of going to press, Amnesty International announced that India's Supreme Court had ruled the sisters and their relatives must be "protected from potential abuses by the villagers."

A spokeswoman added that the family though grateful, did not yet feel safe enough to return home. Regardless of the Supreme Court ruling, the case has highlighted another hindrance to efforts to stem the tide of gender violence in India. “Khap panchayats wield immense power and hand down orders with little accountability,” says Ms Bashi. “In states such as Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Punjab and Rajasthan, families have been known to file false cases, inflict violent punishments and even carry out killings to protect their ‘honour' when