The Orissa High Court has taken strong exceptions to husbands of woman sarpanches (village heads) interfering in functioning of panchayats and directed the State government to inform what action has been taken by the concerned department against such ‘proxy sarpanches’ and on giving women sarpanches proper capacity building training.
Adjudicating a petition filed by a ‘gaon saathi’ Manoj Kumar Mangaraj who was aggrieved by ‘sarpanch pati’ (sarpanch’s husband), a single judge bench headed by Dr. Justice S.K. Panigrahi said, “The sarpanch pati seems to be playing a very important role in appointment and termination of the gaon saathi, while wielding the actual political and decision-making power behind his spouse who is an elected as sarpanch.”
“This genre of sarpanch patism undermines the spirit and purpose of the 73rd Constitutional Amendment Act, 1992 with provisions for empowerment of women at the grassroots level and violates the constitutional rights and dignity of women, who are reduced to ‘faceless sarpanches’ at the grassroots politics. It deprives them of their agency, autonomy, and voice in public affairs,” said Justice Panigrahi in his order.
