The Rathis in Asanda village of Haryana decided in a panchayat meeting that Sonia who married Ram Pal should dissolve her marriage and go back to her parents. This is an example of:
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 3
The correct answer is Option (3) → caste panchayat
Option (1) participatory democracy — Incorrect. Participatory democracy is a system in which the members of a group or community participate collectively in taking major decisions. Here a caste body ordered a woman to end her marriage; that is the opposite of a decision taken by all and for all.
Option (2) gram panchayat — Incorrect. A gram panchayat is the elected local government of a village under Panchayati Raj, chosen by the Gram Sabha and charged with development work. It works under the Constitution and the law, and it does not rule on anyone’s marriage.
Option (3) caste panchayat — Correct. Traditionally there have been caste panchayats in villages. They have usually represented dominant groups, often hold conservative views, and take decisions that go against both democratic norms and procedures. The Rathi panchayat of Asanda ordering Sonia to dissolve her marriage is one such decision.
Option (4) gram sabha — Incorrect. The Gram Sabha is the entire body of citizens in a village, the base of Panchayati Raj, which elects the local government and should be an open forum for discussion. A meeting of one caste is not the Gram Sabha.
Note: The chapter ‘The Story of Indian Democracy’ of the pre-rationalised NCERT, which NTA followed in 2023, has been renamed ‘The Constitution and Social Change’ in the NCERT book (2025-26). Its Box 3.11, ‘Bound by Honour’, which reports the Asanda case, has been deleted; the lines on caste panchayats in the section on Panchayati Raj are still there.
NCERT (2025-26): “Ideals of Panchayati Raj … Panchayati Raj translates literally to ‘Governance by five individuals’. The idea is to ensure at the village or grass root level a functioning and vibrant democracy. While the idea of grassroot democracy is not an alien import to our country, in a society where there are sharp inequalities, democratic participation is hindered on grounds of gender, caste and class. Furthermore, as you shall see in the newspaper reports later in the chapter, traditionally there have been caste panchayats in villages. But they have usually represented dominant groups. Furthermore, they often held conservative views and often have, and continue to take decisions that go against both democratic norms and procedures.…”
Box 3.11, Bound by Honour (Pre-rationalised NCERT) |
