People’s courts: How Panchayats continue to shape justice in rural Madhesh

At their best, Panchayats work as excellent community reconciliation mechanisms but they can also be biased, with the influential members exercising most power.

In rural Madhesh, justice isn’t confined to courtrooms or police stations. It’s often delivered through the panchayat—a long-standing tradition of communal resolution, held under the shade of a sprawling tree or in the local panchayat ‘dalan’ (hall). The system, rooted in the social fabric, remains the first resort for conflict resolution.