A Khap Mahapanchayat held here has appealed to the Centre and Haryana government to grant Khaps the status of Lok Adalats as their decisions on various issues were “unanimous.”
The meeting, attended by about 70 Khaps, said on Saturday that they were open to government representatives taking part in such meetings and voicing their opinions in the debates.
They also demanded that marriage in the same gotra should be banned and suggested amendments to the Hindu Marriage Act, 1955, a Khap member said.
This, they claimed, would keep a check on the growing number of crimes against women, which included rape and female foeticide cases in Haryana.
“Persons responsible for female foeticide should be tried under the charges of murder as number of girls in the state was decreasing,” he said.
The Mahapanchayat in the same meeting had brushed aside the idea of a Khap leader that the marriageable age of girls should be brought down to 16 years, saying the suggestion was “individual in nature.”
Keywords: Khap panchayat, caste politics, Khap Mahapanchayat
decentralization of powers to a local authority is both relevant and
necessary, as the very inhabitants of a society can prove to be the
best harbingers of progress to their community. but, providing
absolute power to an authority which lacks the basic sense of
governing and has a bitter history of formulating gender and caste
unfriendly laws is a step next to disaster. these panchayats are as
valid as the very system of democracy in india, but they should be
well equipped with other significant members of the society. law
makers, law protectors, medical experts and other vital gentry should
be included in formulating laws which cater to the needs of all the
strata of the local society.
instead of rejecting their point of view, their history, education and
societal structure should be considered and steps should be taken to
enhance their standard of thinking by educating them and providing
them valid exposures to the various fields of studies and research.
@Pankaj Kundu: Your justification sounds very familiar. Like Sirajuddin
Ahmad, spokesman for “Radio Mullah” Maulana Fazlullah’s Swat Taliban
talking of killing 14-year-old schoolgirl Malala Yousufzai’s father
after a failed attempt to assassinate his daughter! Social status of
Taliban claims justification for the atrocities committed by them in the
name of Islam.
A Khap Mahapanchayat has “appealed” for grant Khaps the status of Lok
Adalats unanimously. A series of incidents involving treatment of
women reveals the medieval mind set . Now what little doubt I had
about the reason for India’s inability to forge ahead has vanished
with this retrograde news. What’s next? It is matter of little time
before a horror story of Pakistan Malala is replicated here.
Apparently nothing like respect for women and girls can be expected in
area under control of uncivilized Khaps. We don’t need be surprised at
the action of Taliban cold and barbaric shooting of 15 year old kid
for defying their dictates. Similar horror awaits the people of the
area. This development is a challenge to the youth of Haryana and rest
of the country expects the boys and girls take on these Stone Age
savages by horn!
When Gandhi desired for decentralization he never would have thought
that the panchayats would act in this way. He never would want such
panchayats to function. We or our constitution derives the inspiration
from this idea of panchayats, and this surely is not the way we all
want. The panchayats will have to mend their ways according to new
standards and norms of society. What Khap Panchayats think or on
whatever principles they function are outdated. The people part of it
are naive, uneducated and nothing short of ignorant. If it had been
any other other civilized country these Khap panchayats would be
history. We should also consider this option I suppose. Its because of
the vote bank our govt fails to do so, or I do not see any other
purpose or reason behind their existence. I am not hopeful that even
if any other party in power, if comes, would do it.
This is very well justified demand. Constitution is made for the good of
society and societies are not made for the constitution our non - Jat
leader should understand this that for us same gotra means brothers and
sisters and brothers and sister don't marry each other and should
respect our social status...
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