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LATEST NEWS UPDATES | Medieval justice: Kangaroo courts call the shots in TN by Padmini Sivarajah

Medieval justice: Kangaroo courts call the shots in TN by Padmini Sivarajah

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published Published on Jun 15, 2010   modified Modified on Jun 15, 2010

In several hamlets in the caste sensitive pockets of south Tamil Nadu, the law of the land has ceased to exist. Here, it is the ‘kattapanchayat’ or kangaroo courts that rule. A few months ago, Nagaraj, a dalit from Vedasandur in Dindigul district, married a non-dalit girl, Sumathi. Fear of reprisal prompted them to flee the village.

They returned a month later hoping that their parents would accept them. But a ‘kattapanchayat’ was immediately convened. Following its orders, the couple was taken to a coconut grove. A goat was slaughtered, its blood smeared on the couple’s heads and their marriage declared null and void. The girl was later given away in marriage to a man from her caste.

In another incident, a non-dalit girl Sangeetha eloped with a dalit youth, Balachandar of Malapatti village in Dindigul. They were brought back to the village and a few days later the girl died under mysterious circumstances.

“Kangaroo courts are the most powerful bodies that deliver judgment on any dispute or problem. They are still prevalent in many hamlets in the southern districts. Of the 167 villages we surveyed in south Tamil Nadu, we found the ‘kattapanchayat’ active in all of them. They take law into their hands and deliver judgment,” said Kathir, who heads ‘Evidence’. The organisation conducted the study in Theni, Virudhunagar, Dindigul and Sivaganga districts.

The Evidence study revealed that among 167 villages surveyed, 73 had common courts for all castes, while 14 had separate ‘courts’ for dalits and non-dalits. Fifty-nine of these villages had separate courts for every caste in the village. These are headed by the community heads called “nattamai or panchayathar”.

161 of the kangaroo courts delivered caste-based verdicts. The punishment included begging for pardon in the village square or being ostracized. In some villages, the accused were asked to hold burning camphor in his palm, or go around the village temple a prescribed number of times or sometimes, beaten or tied to the tree as punishment. The fines ranged from Rs 10 to Rs 10,000 based on the nature of the crime and place.


The Times of India, 16 June, 2010, http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Medieval-justice-Kangaroo-courts-call-the-shots-in-TN/articleshow/6052384.cms


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