Meenakshi Kumari, 23, and her 15-year-old sister have fled their home after an unelected all-male village council made the order
The Indian village elders who sparked international fury when they ordered that two sisters to be raped are facing arrest for their vile ‘sentence’.
The sickening punishment was handed down because their brother ran off with a married woman.
Now it has been reported that Indian police are looking into the ‘Khap’ court – which have handed down illegal sentences before.
More than 100,000 Brits have now signed a petition to save the sisters.
Meenakshi Kumari, 23, and her 15-year-old sister have fled their home after an unelected all-male village council made the order.
The council also demanded the sisters were paraded naked with blackened faces to humiliate them for their brother’s actions.
Amnesty International condemned the “disgusting” ruling as celebrities rallied behind the petition.
Rachel Alcock, Amnesty UK’s Urgent Action Coordinator, said: “Rape is a revolting crime, not a punishment. It’s no wonder this disgusting ‘sentence’ has provoked global outrage.”
“These Khap courts routinely order vile sexually violent punishments against women. India’s Supreme Court has rightly declared such orders illegal.”
“The government of Uttar Pradesh has an urgent duty to keep this family safe. There must also be a proper, independent investigation into these barbaric and illegal orders which apparently continue to be issued by the khap panchayat courts.”
Queen legend Brian May is among those condemning the ruling. The 68-year-old rocker tweeted: “Unbelievable. How do we combat the mountain of evil in our world? Step by step, stone by stone, day by day.”
Author and atheist Richard Dawkins also joined calls to get the brutal punishment stopped.
He wrote on the social media site: “Indian sisters to be raped as ‘punishment’ for brother eloping. This time it really truly IS nothing to do with Islam.”
He added, “They’re female: property of their brother. Raping them’s punishment for his stealing another man’s female property.”
Scottish actor Douglas Henshaw also tweeted his disgust. Alongside a link to the petition, he said, “This is utterly abhorrent. Two sisters in India to be raped as punishment. Demand justice!”
