Khap Panchayats in India
Introduction
Casteism has been prevalent in the Indian society since the times immemorial. Ill-treatment at the hands of the people belonging to the upper caste was a common practice for the people belonging to the lower castes. The decisions in various issues were made by the upper castes mostly in favour of their own caste. The punishment for a crime was much more severe for the individual of a lower caste as compared to the punishment awarded for the same crime to the individual of a higher caste. The rules made were incorporated in such a manner as to benefit the ones who made them (i.e. the upper caste). The women had little say in the working of the society in most parts of the country and had to abide by the rules (some of which were unjust/sexist in nature) made by the men of the upper caste. This dominance of the people of the upper caste often led to conflicts with the people of the subordinated caste and led to the imbalance in the society.
With the coming of the social reform movement in India, people raised their voices against some of the norms/customs. Situation slowly improved but people mostly stuck to their roots. Post-independence, as democracy was introduced, proper laws were framed; both for the equality of men and women as well as for the equality among the castes. Though most of the ills carried over the centuries still prevailed, the situation for the lower caste people improved. The sway the religious leaders held over their followers was on the decline. People became more and more open minded and the society started to look like an equal platform as compared to the earlier conditions that had prevailed over a long period of time. The overall situation gradually improved as the lower caste people started settling down in cities and were given equal consideration for the jobs although some of the traditional customs still survived. In other words, despite the efforts, hierarchy and domination rooted in the casteism prevailed.
Instead of
Casteism has been prevalent in the Indian society since the times immemorial. Ill-treatment at the hands of the people belonging to the upper caste was a common practice for the people belonging to the lower castes. The decisions in various issues were made by the upper castes mostly in favour of their own caste. The punishment for a crime was much more severe for the individual of a lower caste as compared to the punishment awarded for the same crime to the individual of a higher caste. The rules made were incorporated in such a manner as to benefit the ones who made them (i.e. the upper caste). The women had little say in the working of the society in most parts of the country and had to abide by the rules (some of which were unjust/sexist in nature) made by the men of the upper caste. This dominance of the people of the upper caste often led to conflicts with the people of the subordinated caste and led to the imbalance in the society.
With the coming of the social reform movement in India, people raised their voices against some of the norms/customs. Situation slowly improved but people mostly stuck to their roots. Post-independence, as democracy was introduced, proper laws were framed; both for the equality of men and women as well as for the equality among the castes. Though most of the ills carried over the centuries still prevailed, the situation for the lower caste people improved. The sway the religious leaders held over their followers was on the decline. People became more and more open minded and the society started to look like an equal platform as compared to the earlier conditions that had prevailed over a long period of time. The overall situation gradually improved as the lower caste people started settling down in cities and were given equal consideration for the jobs although some of the traditional customs still survived. In other words, despite the efforts, hierarchy and domination rooted in the casteism prevailed.
Instead of