GS Paper 2
Syllabus: Governance
Source: TH
Context: The Supreme Court of India has stated that the issue of men wielding power behind elected women in grassroots politics (also called as sarpanch Pati) should be addressed by the government and not the judiciary.
- The court advised an NGO, to make a representation before the Ministry of Panchayati Raj regarding this matter.
- The NGO argued that unelected male relatives exerting political and decision-making power behind elected women is a mockery of constitutional democracy, despite the one-third quota for women in panchayat governance introduced by the Seventy-Third Constitution Amendment Act in 1992.
About Sarpanch Pati:
The phenomenon of sarpanch Pati or husbands who wield control in panchayats by making their wives contest is neither new nor rare. Even the Prime Minister has taken cognizance of the problem and identified it as a hurdle to women’s progress.
Examples:
- In a case in Ratlam in Madhya Pradesh, a man even had a ‘power of attorney’ document which gave him the right to take decisions in place of the elected woman sarpanch whose election expenses he had purportedly paid for.
- A woman sarpanch from Odisha also ‘authorised’ her husbandto carry out her duties as sarpanch saying that she did not do it under pressure but citing domestic responsibilities.
Reasons behind the practice of Sarpanch Pati:
- Patriarchal gender norms
- Lack of capacity building and training for womento take leadership roles in local government.
- Poor social status of a woman with high levels of illiteracy.
- Absence of strong deterrence laws to punish men.
- Absence of recognition of women and their contributions.
Insta Links:
Women in Indian political system
Mains Link:
What do you understand by ‘Sarpanch Pati’ in the context of Indian society? Examine the causative factors and impact of such culture. (150 words)
