Sisters to be repeatedly gang-raped as punishment for their brother's crimes

The decision to inflict the prehistoric punishment on the girls has sparked international outrage.

A petition demanding the evil ruling be reversed has been launched by Amnesty International.

"Unelected village councils such as this are widespread in parts of India," it said.

"More often than not they are made up of older men from dominant cases, who prescribe rules for social behaviour and interaction in villages.

"Nothing could justify this abhorrent punishment. It's not fair.

"It's not right. And it's against the law."

The shocking ruling was made in a remote village in the Baghpat district of northern India.

The council, known as a khap panchyat, has vowed to "avenge the dishonour" of the womens' brother by sentencing them to the barbaric punishment.

According to Indian news sources the brother, named Ravi, fell in love with a woman from a higher caste and may have impregnated his lover.

The Amnesty petition, which has already been signed over 40,000 times, reads: "Your eyes do not deceive you.

"An elected all-male village council in India has ordered that 23-year-old Meenakshi Kumari and her 15-year-old sister are raped.

"The 'sentence' was handed down as punishment after their brother eloped with a married woman.

"They also ordered for the sisters to be paraded naked with blackened faces.

"Nothing could justify this abhorrent punishment.

"Demand that the the local authorities intervene immediately."

(dailystar.co.uk)