question_answer

?The village panchayat during the Mughal period regulated rural society.? Explain the statement.

Answer:

Village panchayat during the Mugha.1 period was an assembly of Elders, people of village with hereditary property rights. Diversity in panchayat also' found in the mixed caste villages. Decisions made by these Panchayats were binding on the members. Panchayat was headed by a headman known as Muqaddam or Mandal Sources suggest that headman was chosen through the consensus or the village elders and this choice is ratified by Zamindar. Headman was to supervise the preparation of village accounts, assisted by the accountant or 'patwari? of the panchayat. Panchayat derived its funds from contributions made by individuals to a common financial pool. These funds were used for defraying the cost of entertaining revenue officials who visited the village from time. These funds were used to combat flood like situations and making dams, digging out the canal. Important function of Panchayat was to ensure the caste-boundaries among the various communities inhabiting the village were upheld. Its headman's duty was to oversee the conduct of the members of village community chiefly to prevent any offence against their caste. Panchayats also have the authority to levy fines and inflict more serious forms of punishment including expulsion from the village and caste. Such a measure was intended as a deterrent to violation of caste norms. In addition to the village panchayat each caste or jati had its own jati panchayat. These panchayats wielded considerable power in rural society. These panchayats kept an eye on the marriages, land claims that were happened according to the caste boundaries.

The most of the cases, except in matters of criminal justice, the state respected the decisions of the jati panchayats. Archival records from Western India contain petitions presented to the panchayat complaining about extortionate taxation or the demand for unpaid labour (Begar) imposed by the superior castes or officials of the state. These petitions were usually made by villagers, from the lowest rungs of rural society often petitions were made by group of people protesting against the elite groups. These include the excessive tax demands in time of drought and other calamities. They regarded the village panchayat as the court of appeal that would ensure that the state carried out its moral obligations and guaranteed Justice.