In Chhattisgarh, husbands take oath in place of women panchayat representatives

Locals and social activists termed the incident a mockery of women’s empowerment and demanded stern action against the guilty

The husbands of six newly elected women panchayat representatives (panches) allegedly took the oath in place of their wives in a village in Chhattisgarh’s Kabirdham district, prompting the authorities to order a probe.

The alleged incident occurred on Monday (March 3, 2025) in the Paraswara village panchayat in the Pandariya development block.

A video of the swearing-in of the panchayat representatives in Parswara surfaced on social media on Tuesday, following which the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Pandariya Janpad Panchayat was asked to probe the matter, said Ajay Tripathi, CEO of Kabirdham Zilla Panchayat. He said action will be taken based on the probe report.

The official said representatives elected in the recently held three-tier panchayat polls were sworn in during their first meeting in their respective areas on Monday.

According to officials, of the 11 ward panches elected in the Parasrwara village panchayat, six were women, while the sarpanch was a man.

The husbands of these six women panches and the other elected representatives were sworn in by the panchayat secretary.

Stern action sought

In the video, all male members can be seen taking oaths. Locals and social activists termed the incident a mockery of women’s empowerment and demanded stern action against the guilty. “If no concrete action is taken, it will set a wrong example and may lead to further such incidents,” they said.

Published - March 05, 2025 07:53 am IST