Indian brides were ordered to pay compensation or live with abandoned neighbours. Photo: AFP
A village council in northern India has allegedly ordered a woman whose husband eloped with a neighbour’s wife to either live with the man she abandoned or pay compensation, police said on Tuesday.
Police are investigating a complaint that Rajendra Meghwal had sought help from the Congress in the desert state of Rajasthan after his wife and two children disappeared along with Kalul Meghwal.
Kalral’s wife, Mamta, told police that the khap panchayat had ordered her to either pay Rajendra 300,000 rupees ($4,775) as compensation for her husband’s actions or live with him.
“The woman had not attended any Kapu meetings but complained to us that she had been asked to either pay money or live with Rajendra,” local police officer Sanjay Kumar told AFP.
It is unclear whether the woman was asked to live with her husband as his spouse or as a household servant.
Kumar said police officers began questioning councillors in Bundi district after Mamta filed a harassment complaint with the police.
Panchayats are often made up of unelected groups of elders who are seen as the social and moral arbiters of village life.
Though not legally binding, Khap panchayats wield great influence and have been held responsible for a number of human rights abuses, including sanctioning the “honour killings” of women who are accused of bringing dishonour upon their families.
Dubbed “duck courts” by critics, the tribunals are known for imposing public beatings and other punishments on those deemed guilty of crimes.