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Justice by and for India鈥檚 Women
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At 2 p.m. every Wednesday, about 15 to 20 women who form a Mahila Panchayat, or Women鈥檚 Council, gather in a modest, dimly lit room in the Jehangirpuri area of the Indian capital city New Delhi, to hear cases of gender-based violence (GBV). Distressed women鈥攙ictims of domestic violence, bigamy, alcoholism, etc.鈥攖hrong the room in search of the sort of justice they wouldn鈥檛 necessarily get from law-enforcement agencies. The Mahila Panchayat of Jahangirpuri was set up in 1994; for over 30 years it has not only helped marginalized, working-class women speak up against violence but also exalted them to leadership positions in the council.
Ranjana is a vegetable vendor who was deceived into a live-in relationship by her partner who told her in 2019 that he would marry her soon after his divorce was finalized. Five years later, Ranjana has a 2-year-old son, and marriage is nowhere in sight. The partner abandoned her just like he did to three other women he鈥檇 had children with鈥攁nd initially kept Ranjana in the dark about the other relationships. She says he has separated from (but not divorced) one of the women whom he has legally married.
鈥淪omeone told me about the Mahila Panchayat, and I came here with my plea that he come back to me, marry me, and help me financially maintain my child. I don鈥檛 have anyone I can go back to so I registered my case here,鈥� she says.
鈥淲hen the Mahila Panchayat talked to my husband and pressured him, he returned home after 13 days,鈥� says Ranjana, who refers to her partner as her husband although they are not legally married. 鈥淗e鈥檚 been home since and gives me spending money also.鈥� Although her 鈥渉usband鈥� might never marry her, the fact that he has returned and provides for her and their child gives Ranjana some relief.
Ranjana feels a deep sense of support from the women of the Mahila Panchayat. In contrast, her experience reporting her complaint at the local police station felt scary, and she says that she 鈥渉ates鈥� the institution.
鈥淲hen I was telling them about my husband, the lady constable slapped me and questioned the way I was talking about him,鈥� the 27-year-old recalls tearfully.
Another woman named Reshma, a mother of three, also came to the Mahila Panchayat to discuss her case of acute domestic violence during her 10-year marriage. 鈥淗e first hit me when my eldest daughter was only 6 days old and our marriage was a year in. [The reason for the violence was] because I鈥檇 put extra salt in the khichdi. The violence increased gradually over the last four years.鈥� As she shows the scars on her body, she adds, 鈥淗e creates such a fuss in giving me a basic allowance for me and my children.鈥�
Reshma was convinced to seek help at the Mahila Panchayat by a friend who resolved her case of domestic violence in three hearings. 鈥淚 was severely distressed when Radha saw the scars on my arms and asked me to come for the sunwai [hearing]. I consulted my family, who also encouraged me, and I decided to register my complaint here,鈥� she says. Reshma shares that she did not consider going to the police because she doesn鈥檛 want to destroy her family by getting into a legal dispute.
Radha, Reshma鈥檚 friend, has a much happier married life now. 鈥淢y husband used to beat me after alcohol abuse and refrained from paying me an allowance, which is why I had to take up the work of house cleaning and earn [money] for my children.鈥� She explains that after she complained to the women of Mahila Panchayat, they summoned her husband and talked to him. 鈥淗e has now quit alcohol, stopped hitting me, and also gives me a monthly allowance. He has now enabled me to quit work too,鈥� says Radha with a big smile. She continues to come to Panchayat meetings because here she gets to learn about other women and gains knowledge on her rights too. Additionally, the women of the council get updates on how her marriage is going.
Aside from Jahangirpuri, there are five other Mahila Panchayat councils run by , a nonprofit organization that works for women鈥檚 empowerment in India. Action India devised the model of a Mahila Panchayat in 1994 when the leadership of the NGO was struck by the vast issue of domestic violence in the neighborhoods of the capital鈥檚 slums. Per Action India, there are currently active women鈥檚 councils in Seemapuri, Sunder Nagri, Dharampura, Jahangirpuri, Welcome (Junta Mazdoor Colony), and Dakshinpuri areas. Of these, Sunder Nagri, Seemapuri, Dakshinpuri, and Jahangirpuri Mahila Panchayats are the oldest.
Action India鈥檚 co-chairperson, Gyanwati, has had an illustrious career spanning four decades working on women鈥檚 rights. She recalls the journey of the women鈥檚 councils: 鈥淲e piloted with building groups of five women each from within the communities for the Mahila Panchayat because there was no space for women to go with their marital conflicts in the city.鈥� She adds, 鈥淭he so-called Panchayats were all led by men where women had no agency.鈥�
Significantly, all the areas where Mahila Panchayats are active are inhabited by large migrant populations from Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, and other parts of the Hindi-speaking belt of the country. Most of the women are from different marginalized religious, caste, and class sects of society, states Gyanwati. As the Mahila Panchayats have progressed, they now have about 25 women in each hierarchy-free council, selected from within the local area based on their leadership abilities, articulation of domestic violence matters, and basic education for writing 鈥淔irst Information Reports鈥� for police, and other documents.
Gyanwati explains that the Mahila Panchayat meetings are carried out meticulously, with careful record keeping of all cases that are registered with them. 鈥淓very Wednesday, we take about two cases per council and sometimes on other days of the week as well, as per the availability of the case victim and her husband. During the meeting, we listen to both parties and then make a fair decision agreed upon by both parties.鈥� She points out that the process is a fair one, saying, 鈥淲e don鈥檛 necessarily side with women in all cases.鈥�
Manorama Jha, a member of the Jahangirpuri Mahila Panchayat since 2014, moved to Delhi from Bihar鈥檚 Madhubani district in 2006 after she got married. She discovered the council through a friend who is also a member. Since joining the Panchayat, she has felt a sense of comfort in the company of women who discuss their personal matters without judgment or rebuke. 鈥淚 have learned a great deal about women鈥檚 rights. Before, I didn鈥檛 know that household chores are also regarded as work in society. But now I know, and it makes me feel valued,鈥� says Manorama.
She has also helped resolve several conflicts of women and regularly attends council meetings. 鈥淲e attend legal workshops and other rights-based sessions that help us build our understanding of GBV and patriarchal nuances of society,鈥� says Manorama, adding that she has also visited the police station and courts in cases that require a law-based approach.
On whether her family supports her social justice activities, Manorama shakes her head with a smile, 鈥淚 lie to them when I come for the meetings or when I have to go to the police station. I tell them about it when I come back. They fear that I鈥檒l become too forward if I get to know more about my rights, but that hasn鈥檛 stopped me in the last decade.鈥�
While Action India ushered in the wave of Mahila Panchayats in the mid-1990s, the (DCW), a government initiative, officially adopted the concept in 2002 in collaboration with several privately run NGOs. Currently, DCW is running 64 Mahila Panchayats across the city with 53 NGOs. DCW Member Firdos Khan explains that the commission has 400 Mahila Panchayat members who are in turn connected to 400,000 women from marginalized sections of the city.
鈥淲e routinely conduct sessions with Delhi State Legal Services Authority to empower these women in their understanding of legal rights to address GBV. We also went a step beyond GBV cases to ensure their children get [school] admissions, older women get pensions [and have access to] awareness programs 鈥� [that help them get] their documents in place to be able to access benefits,鈥� says Firdos. She adds that it鈥檚 not just about filing a case with the police and initiating a 鈥渕ountain of litigation,鈥� but also how to prevent injustices in the first place.
Recently, to equip the Mahila Panchayat coordinators with sensitivity skills to deal with women鈥檚 mental health issues, DCW organized a workshop in collaboration with Mariwala Health Initiative, a funding agency for innovative mental health initiatives. After one such workshop ended, Mahila Panchayat coordinators from different NGOs shared how deeply women鈥檚 mental health is intertwined with their dignity and social standing in society.
Parvati, who works with Sofia Educational and Welfare Society and is a Mahila Panchayat coordinator since 2013 in Mustafabad area, explains that a Mahila Panchayat resolves cases by first listening to women and trying to understand their needs. 鈥淢ost cases happen [because] homebound women need money to run their houses and educate their children. When the husband loses the money in gambling and alcohol, it becomes a problem for the wife. In such cases, we counsel women and use social pressure on the husband to come to the right path,鈥� says Parvati.
Several Mahila Panchayat members and coordinators agreed that there are times when men refuse to budge or might be agreeable in front of the council but later will deny all agreements. In such situations, the Mahila Panchayats keep track of the cases, sometimes for months on end, to ensure the woman has won a just resolution.
Another NGO called (CEQUIN) has run Mahila Panchayats since 2010 in the Jamia Nagar clusters in South Delhi and also in some areas of other states such as Rajasthan and Haryana.
Jamia Nagar, a Muslim-dominated area, has a significantly large portion of women with low levels of basic literacy and education. Growing up in conservative environments, many have not ventured out of their homes, but after CEQUIN worked with them for decades to help them explore the outside world, they now know that in cases of violence, they have a Mahila Panchayat to fall back on.
When Mumtaz, a resident of Jamia Nagar, completed eighth grade, her father stopped her education and married her off as soon as she turned 18. Mumtaz was familiar with domestic violence, having witnessed her father beat up her mother for the smallest of mistakes. So when her own husband began assaulting her, she endured it for a long time.
鈥淢y father came to see me one day and was filled with guilt for my mother, whom he used to beat up. He kept asking for forgiveness from her until the day he died,鈥� shares Mumtaz. She recalls that because she was relatively sheltered, she initially did not know whom to turn to for help. But then she remembered taking a makeup class at CEQUIN before she got married. 鈥淚 reached out to them, and they directed me to the Mahila Panchayat,鈥� she recounts. 鈥淢y husband would beat me after getting drunk. We had a full house with his brothers and their wives, but none would rescue me,鈥� she says.
After a few hearings with the Mahila Panchayat, Mumtaz鈥檚 husband not only stopped physically abusing her but moved the family into a new house and enrolled her in an international makeup course. Now Mumtaz works as a beautician in Jamia Nagar and has more than 10K Instagram followers.
CEQUIN co-founder Lora Prabhu defines Mahila Panchayats as 鈥渨omen鈥檚 collective leadership,鈥� saying, 鈥淭he most important thing for women in Mahila Panchayats, particularly in the urban context, is that social dynamics can range widely across different castes, religions, and communities, and yet they come together for the greater good.鈥�
Naseem Khan, manager of implementation and monitoring at CEQUIN, has had a lot of experience working with Mahila Panchayats, first with Action India and now with CEQUIN. She states the importance of Mahila Panchayats as self-sustaining and independent. 鈥淲e focus our training sessions on developing leadership among the girls and women in our women鈥檚 councils. Secondly, we prioritize community participation and contribution where women members open their own homes for the hearings on a rotation basis,鈥� says Khan. She points out that in contrast to the Mahila Panchayats run by CEQUIN, other NGOs rent spaces and give coordinators an honorarium to run the program. This makes them dependent on the organizations.
The majority of the thousands of cases that Mahila Panchayats tackle each year are beyond the scope of the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) in Delhi. The NCRB 14,247 crimes against women in Delhi in 2022鈥攖he highest across all metropolitan cities in India鈥攐f which 4,901 cases center on abuse by husbands or relatives. Of these, only three cases were reported under the Protection of Women From Domestic Violence Act.
Mahila Panchayats offer a good chance at fair resolutions of domestic violence, bigamy, alcohol abuse, dowry, and other gender-related crimes in India, and specifically in the nation鈥檚 capital. More importantly, such councils are helping women to speak up and reframe their ideas of justice.
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Poorvi Gupta
is an independent journalist based in New Delhi, India, who specializes in covering socio-political issues through the lens of gender. She started her career as a journalist with SheThePeople, where she worked for five years strengthening her network and understanding of gender-focussed issues. She then moved on to work with MAKERS India and HerStory鈥攏ews platforms primarily focusing on women鈥檚 rights. She was last associated with coto app, a global social community platform exclusively for everyone who identifies as a woman. When she鈥檚 not fretting about the state of women in the world, she likes to watch theatre and go for picnics and heritage walks. She speaks English and Hindi.
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