District Court Delivers Justice: Death Sentences in Gadag Honour Killings

A Gadag district court has sentenced four individuals to death for the 2019 honour killings of a couple in Lakkalakatti village. The victims, Ramesh and Gangamma Madara, were murdered by Gangamma's relatives after marrying against family wishes. The case was investigated by Gajendragada police.

In a landmark decision, a district court in Gadag has sentenced four individuals to death for the brutal honour killing of a young couple who defied societal norms to marry. The victims, Ramesh Madara and Gangamma Madara, hailed from Lakkalakatti village in Gajendragada taluk and were tragically killed on November 6, 2019.

The court identified Shivappa Rathod, Ravikumara Rathod, Ramesh Rathod, and Parasurama Rathod—relatives of Gangamma Madara—as the perpetrators of this heinous crime. Motivated by familial opposition, these four carried out the murders that shocked the community, illustrating a grim reality of caste-based prejudices still prevalent in some regions.

Detailed investigations by the Gajendragada police culminated in convictions under several sections of the Indian Penal Code, including murder and criminal intimidation. The police revealed that the accused attacked the couple with stones, culminating in a deadly assault motivated by Gangamma's marriage to Ramesh, who belonged to a Dalit community, leaving behind two children. (ANI)

(With inputs from agencies.)