The Chachowali village in the Majitha constituency has sparked a row after its panchayat reportedly passed a resolution imposing social boycott on love marriages.
A video documenting the panchayat’s decision has gone viral on social media. It shows residents and village elders collectively endorsing the move. According to the resolution, any youth from the village, who marries out of their own volition, will be excommunicated and exiled, effectively forcing the couple and their families to relocate.
Village Sarpanch Sheetal Singh confirmed the resolution. He said the panchayat has decided that no boy or girl who opted for love marriage will be permitted to live in the village. This decision has polarised opinion, drawing widespread criticism from social observers, who label the decree as an infringement of the legal rights of citizens.
Critics have argued that since the law of the land recognises the validity of love marriages, such local directives are not only regressive, but fundamentally unconstitutional.
Conversely, the decision has found support among a section of the locals, who view it as a means to maintain traditional social order.
Local Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Tarsem Singh Gill publicly endorsed the move, extending his full support to Sarpanch Sheetal Singh and the panchayat. Expressing solidarity with the decision, Gill stated that his party would stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the village leadership in enforcing this mandate.
The viral nature of the video has prompted significant public outcry, with many questioning the authority of a village council to override individual liberties. Legal experts note that such decrees, often referred to as “Tughlaqi farmans”, lack any legal standing and directly conflict with the constitutional rights afforded to adults to choose their partners.
As discussions intensify on social media platforms, the incident has highlighted the persistent friction between localised patriarchal customs and the country’s legal framework, leaving many to wonder if the administration will intervene to address the legality of the Panchayat’s controversial stance.