KHAPs are informal local councils in north-western India. They meet to lay down the law on questions of marriage and caste, and are among India\u2019s most unflinchingly conservative institutions. They have banned marriage between people of different castes, restricted it between people from the same village and stand accused of ordering honour killings to enforce their rulings, which have no legal force. India\u2019s Supreme Court once called for khaps to be \u201cruthlessly stamped out\u201d\u009d. In April 2014, however, the Satrol khap, the largest in Haryana, one of India\u2019s richest states, relaxed its ban on inter-caste marriage and made it easier for villagers to marry among their neighbours. \u201cThis will bring revolutionary change to Haryana,\u201d\u009d said Inder Singh, president of the khap.<\/p>\n
The cause of the decision, he admitted, was \u201cthe declining male-female sex ratio in the state\u201d\u009d. After years of sex-selective abortions in favour of boys, Haryana has India\u2019s most distorted sex ratio: 114 males of all ages for every 100 females. In their search for brides, young men are increasingly looking out of caste, out of district and out of state. \u201cThis is the only way out to keep our old traditions alive,\u201d\u009d said Mr Singh. \u201cInstead of getting a bride from outside the state who takes time to adjust, we preferred to prune the jurisdiction of prohibited areas.\u201d\u009d<\/p>\n