The Panchayat that has the authority to hear some petty, civil and criminal cases is:-
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 2
The correct answer is Option (2) → Nyaya Panchayat
Option (2) Nyaya Panchayat — Correct. Nyaya Panchayats have been set up in some states. They have the authority to hear some petty, civil and criminal cases; they can impose fines but cannot award a sentence, and have often brought contending parties to an agreement.
Note: The chapter ‘The Story of Indian Democracy’ of the pre-rationalised NCERT, the textbook of 2022, has been renamed ‘The Constitution and Social Change’ in the NCERT book (2025-26). Its section on Panchayati Raj, which describes the Nyaya Panchayats, is still there.
NCERT (2025-26): “Powers and Responsibilities of Panchayats … The main income of the Panchayats is from tax levied on property, profession, animals, vehicles, cess on land revenue and rentals. The resources are further increased by the grants received through the Zilla Panchayat. It is also considered compulsory for Panchayat offices to put up boards outside their offices, listing the break up of funds received, and utilisation of the financial aid received. This exercise was taken up to ensure that people at the grassroot level should have the ‘right to information’ – opening all functioning to the public eye. People had the right to scrutinise allocation of money. And ask reasons for decisions that were taken for the welfare and development activities of the village. Nyaya Panchayats have been constituted in some states. They possess the authority to hear some petty, civil and criminal cases. They can impose fines but cannot award a sentence. These village courts have often been successful in bringing about an agreement amongst contending parties. They have been particularly effective in punishing men who harass women for dowry and perpetrate violence against them.” |