Overview
- The Legislative Council’s unanimous vote Wednesday followed a divided Assembly a day earlier, and the bill now moves to the Governor for assent.
- The law affirms that once two adults consent to marry, family or caste approval is not required, reinforcing the right to choose a partner.
- Police must provide protection within six hours of a complaint from a threatened couple, and the state will run safe houses in every district with legal aid and NGO support.
- Crimes in the name of honour carry a minimum five-year prison term with heavy fines, and social boycotts linked to such cases are criminal offences.
- Activists in Shivamogga who campaigned after a 2025 Hubballi killing welcomed the passage, saying their push for a specific statute helped bring the law forward.