KHAP PANCHAYATS
Khap panchayats are community-based councils, acting as informal judicial bodies pertaining to the villages in North India, primarily in Haryana and Uttar Pradesh. Their main role till date is conflict resolution in villages, keeping in mind the caste hierarchies and functioning within the traditional customary norms of the village people. The khap panchayat heads act as informal judiciary, with its primary goal as maintaining the social order.
BENEFITS:
- The khaps are among the local people and thus the local decisions and conflicts are resolved in a way which might not be as effective when resolved by outside authorities.
- Khap panchayats ensure that social justice be provided and conflicts be resolved within the community which builds a sense of unity within the village.
- In the forward-looking khaps where women are also a part of decision making, a sense of identity and respect is inculcated within the village women which also ensures a better redressal to their problems.
- Khap panchayats are also politically influenced in many cases which ensures adequate political representation too, where the Khap heads can bargain for the development of their areas.
- In many cases, campaigns like “beti bachao beti padhao” and the Anti-dowry law have been able to be prevalent within the villages due to the involvement of khaps in social reforms.
LOOPHOLES:
- Khap panchayats sometimes assume the authority of being the supreme law upholders which makes them questionable according to legal validity.
- Caste based hierarchies might be more prevalent in some villages which result in a more divided society, full of prejudices and lawlessness.
- Honour killings have been a major issue when it comes to khap panchayats. Also, in khaps where women have little to no representation, a gender-based divide is also seen.
- The lack of legal recognition in itself a testimony to the judiciary’s lack of faith in khap panchayat functioning.
- A lot of political involvement renders these panchayats as mere political supporters, leaving justice out of question, with only money as its goal.
To make Khap Panchayats more reliable and useful part of local self government, they should be legalised with stated rules and regulations which are questionable in court and under the control of a higher authority.
Nandini Singla, is a student at ARSD College, Delhi University. She writes for Vidyapeeth IAS Academy.
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