Explained: How will the new Maharashtra panel on inter-faith and inter-caste marriages help women?

In a bid to avoid a repeat of the Shraddha Walkar case, the Maharashtra government has set up a committee to gather information about inter-faith and inter-caste marriage couples and the families of the women if they are estranged. Called the “Inter-caste/ Inter-faith marriage-family coordination committee (state level)”, the panel will be headed by state women and child development minister Mangal Prabhat Lodha, a Government Resolution (GR) issued stated.

The development comes in the aftermath of the Shraddha Walkar case. Vasai resident Walkar, 26, was allegedly strangled to death by her live-in partner Aaftab Poonawalla, who later chopped her body into 35 pieces. The incident happened in May and only came to light in November when Walkar’s family contacted the police when there was no contact from her in six months.

The committee will oversee district-level initiatives for women involved in inter-faith and inter-caste marriages and those who are estranged from their families to ensure they get assistance, if necessary, the GR said. It will also conduct regular meetings with district officials to get information about registered and unregistered inter-faith and inter-caste marriages. The panel will also check information about marriages that took place in places of worship and those that happened after the elopement, PTI reported.

Another way in which the committee will gather information about such couples is from the stamp duty and registrar offices.

The committee, which will have 13 members from the government and non-government sectors, will contact women in inter-caste and inter-faith marriages and also their maternal families. The panel will find out if the woman and her family are in touch with each other. In cases of estranged relationships, the committee will obtain the address of the woman’s maternal family and contact the parents, Indian Express reported.

The move will also provide a platform for these women and their families to go for counselling and communicate to resolve issues if any. It will also study existing policies at the Central and state levels, welfare schemes and laws regarding inter-caste and inter-faith marriages and suggest changes for improvement and finding solutions.