Delhi's mahila panchayats (women's courts): in search of justice for women in India

Abstract

The aim of this study is to assess the impact of the mahila panchayats (women's courts) on the users, and the potential for empowerment that they hold. The mahila panchayats serve as an informal judicial system in the slum and resettlement areas of Delhi, India, hearing cases of specific importance to women. Using a feminist methodology, including interviews and observations, it was found that for many who go through the panchayat process, there will be positive outcomes in terms of a resolution to their issue. It is also clear that the panchayats provide an environment for empowerment to occur. The panchayats set about to increase 'real choice' by giving women not only the mental resources to increase agency but the environment where those actions can reach fruition. It is also found that some women who approach the panchayats will not attain a positive resolution to their situation nor will they be in a position to take up the power that the process offers. A small number of women may even find the process unempowering. The functioning and the outcomes that the panchayats can foster are limited to a degree by the environment of entrenched patriarchy in which they function.