HistoryMedieval India: Peasants, Zamindars and the State

In sixteenth-seventeenth century rural India, in most cases the state…

In sixteenth-seventeenth century rural India, in most cases the state respected the decisions of jati panchayats, except in matters of:

Answer & explanation

Correct answer: option 2

The correct answer is Option (2) → criminal justice

Option (1) civil disputes between castes — Incorrect. In Rajasthan jati panchayats arbitrated civil disputes between members of different castes, and the state respected these decisions.

Option (2) criminal justice — Correct. Jati panchayats had wide powers, but criminal justice stayed with the state. Only there did the state not accept their decisions.

Option (3) contested claims on land — Incorrect. Jati panchayats mediated in contested claims on land. This was part of their accepted work.

Option (4) marriage norms of a caste group — Incorrect. They decided whether marriages followed the norms of a caste group. The state did not interfere here.

NCERT (2026-27): “2.2 Panchayats and headmen …
In addition to the village panchayat each caste or jati in the village had its own jati panchayat. These panchayats wielded considerable power in rural society. In Rajasthan jati panchayats arbitrated civil disputes between members of different castes. They mediated in contested claims on land, decided whether marriages were performed according to the norms laid down by a particular caste group, determined who had ritual precedence in village functions, and so on. In most cases, except in matters of criminal justice, the state respected the decisions of jati panchayats.”