Jati panchayat
Also called: Caste panchayat · Topic: Mughal Agrarian Society and Economy · NCERT: Class 12, Ch 4 "Peasants, Zamindars and the State"
Meaning
A jati panchayat was a council of a single caste (jati). Each caste in a village could have one, alongside the village panchayat. It had real power over its members. It settled their disputes and enforced caste rules. The Mughal state usually accepted its decisions, so it was an important part of local justice.
Example
In Rajasthan, jati panchayats settled civil disputes, including quarrels between members of different castes. They also decided land claims, marriage rules and who came first at religious ceremonies. The state respected their decisions except in criminal cases, which it handled itself.
Don't confuse with
- Village panchayat: this was an assembly of village elders who held hereditary property rights. It ran the affairs of the whole village and was headed by the headman (muqaddam or mandal). A jati panchayat dealt with only one caste.
Related concepts
- Village community in Mughal India
- Caste mobility in rural Mughal India
- Begar
- Village panchayat in Mughal India
- Muqaddam
- Patwari