Unified Abstracts

7/24/2019 Unified Abstracts

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Non-State Legal Practices in India 1

Abstracts

From Stamp Paper to Brass Bells: Procedures of Petition and

Justice in Golu Devs Territory

MEERA BAINDUR

Golu is called the supreme deity of justice by his believers. his deity isterritorially placed i! a juridical relatio! "ith his subjects# those "ho residei! the districts of Almora a!d Nai!ital a!d also his believers "ho aresometimes !ot reside!t i! his juridical re$io!. %e is ofte! co!sidered to bethe &supreme court above the 'upreme (ourt )of the Republic of I!dia*.+,hile Golu is clearly see! as a divi!e bei!$ operati!$ above a!d beyo!dthe state le$al system# yet it is i! the presuppositio!s of his devotees that

he is placed "ithi! the same state system of justice. his is clear from myo!-$oi!$ eld "or/ i! (hitai# Almora. I fou!d that a !o!-state le$alpractice of petitio!i!$ the divi!e is co!tempora!eous "ith the proceduresof state le$al practices. 0ractices such as petitio!s throu$h stamp paper# apractice of summo!s 1called maath2 a!d also pu!itive justice# retributio!a!d !es are to be fou!d i! (hitai. I! case of Golu# a le$al stamp paper1u!til rece!tly# !o" they are e-stamped2 is used to petitio! the deity a!dthe post-case payme!t 1i! /i!d2 of the petitio!er is made throu$h thedo!atio! of a bell.

heoretically# it seems that three mai! pri!ciples of ethics a!d justice arei! operatio! here 3 truth telli!$# co!fessio! a!d the idea of the fearedcurse. I posit that this system of justice is a self-re$ulati!$ practice thati!tercedes o! behalf of the "ro!$ed perso! throu$h a visitatio! ofcalamity o! the accused# particularly ill-health# i! other "ords a curse.(o!fessio! of the accused happe!s throu$h the form of ritual called theJagaror throu$h the sacrice of a $oat. ,hile i! most cases theJagaris apossessio! ritual "here the deity commu!icates "ith the devotees a!dliste!s to their petitio!s# here i! case of Golu it is particularly di4ere!t.

he petitio! is already $ive! i! "riti!$. hereforeJagarfor the Golu mostlyis a heali!$ ritual "here the accused holds a story telli!$ sessio! a!d aperforma!ce# at the e!d of "hich he5she co!fesses a!d is for$ive!. heaili!$ perso! "ho may be the accused or his5her /i! is healed. 6thers mayalso see/ heali!$s a!d blessi!$s duri!$ the ritual. If Golu helps a case i!the state le$al system to be resolved i! his5her favour# the petitio!er after$ifti!$ of the !ecessary bell may also hold aJagarperforma!ce i! tha!/s.

I posit that the layeri!$ of the relatio!ship bet"ee! the be!evole!t deity#

his ability to pu!ish "ro!$ doers a!d i!terfere i! the state le$al system#a!d the stylised ritual practices of "ritte! petitio!s that are moder!#

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complicates a si!$ular u!dersta!di!$ of this as a !o!-state le$al practice.I "ould bri!$ these !di!$s i! dialo$ue "ith %abermas7 co!ceptualisatio!of !o!-state practices. A! added frame"or/ "ould be to e8ami!e themateriality of the practice a!d ritual e9cacy of this system of belief a!d

justice.

The osts of !e"al Pluralisms

U0ENDRA BA:I

his much has bee! co!ceded--- mostly covertly thou$h sometimesovertly- that "he! o!e lisps the alphabet of le$al pluralism# o!e !eeds toavoid the tyra!!y of si!$ular; "ith this much "e must also ac/!o"led$e

the fact that 1to borro" the title of a boo/ o! free speech by 'ta!ley 2,e have only legal pluralisms? as ma!y =isms7 as there are fol/ le$al=systems7.

0lurality is a! eleme!tary social fact; pluralism is "hat o!e co!structs outplurality. he =ism7 therefore is a co!structio! of ideolo$y a!d i! thise!terprise come to play at least t"o eleme!ts ide!tied by @oh! Ra"ls?=reaso!able pluralism7 a!d the di4ere!ce bet"ee! "hat is =reaso!able7 asco!trasted "ith "hat is =ratio!al7. Ra"ls mai!tai!s that "hat is =ratio!al7

1as a mea!s-e!d relatio!2 is !ot ofte! =reaso!able7 1mea!i!$ =just72? thus#colo!ialism# apartheid# a!d $e!ocide 1the tri!ity of eleme!ts that almostde!e ,ester! E!li$hte!me!t thou$ht a!d practice# or i!deed a!y form ofimperialism2 did !ot co!stitute reaso!able pluralism. I! the prese!t times#the disti!ctio! bet"ee! =public =a!d =private7 reaso! ope!s up furtherspace for the =costs7; so do the varieties of a!!ihilati!$ e8perie!ce#"hether of co!ti!$e!t or e!duri!$ =state7 a!d !o!-state terror !et"or/s. Ifle$al pluralism is a mea!s of resista!ce# "hat /i!ds of ema!cipatorypote!tial does it hold

,hat the! is# or may be see!# as =reaso!able pluralism7 1see! by Ra"ls asesse!tial to a theory of justice2 I approach this uestio! i! terms of thecosts of mai!tai!i!$ le$al pluralisms# "ho bears these costs a!d for ho"lo!$# a!d "hether the costs thus bor!e are or ca! be co!sidered just Are=costs7 al"ays measurable i! terms of a! e!comistic cost-be!et approachor may o!e i!clude !o!-ua!tiable costs such as =rule 3of- la"7 #=developme!tal7# or =justice7 costs ,he! does =reaso!able7 collapse i!tomerely =ratio!al7 pluralism A!d are these costs i!te$ral or accide!tal

I! raisi!$ these issues# it $oes "ithout sayi!$ I do !ot advocate a retreatfrom deep le$al pluralisms 1as "e /!o" these2. Nor do I here raise

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co!cer!s "ith Gior$io A$ambe! about the !otio!s of =ba!7 a!d =e8clusivei!clusio!7 or "ith Alai! Badiou ima$ery of !ecessary reductio! ofmultiplicity to do mathematics or a8iomatic scie!ces? I do !ot /!o""hether "hat is $ood for mathematics or pure scie!ce is $ood for the

=political7 a!d the =politics7. All I /!o" 1"ith a fe" a!thropolo$ists "ho ta/esocial su4eri!$ seriously2 are voices of social a!d huma! su4eri!$-- themar$i!aliCed# vul!erable# a!d the oppressed- "ho tell me ho" they!e$otiate lives alo!$side "ith ma!y discrete# eve! i!ter$e!eratio!al#costs of various le$al pluralisms. %o" may "e preserve our $hti!$ faiths"hile liste!i!$ to voices of su4eri!$ is the! amo!$ the problems thati!vite serious e!$a$eme!t.

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#cean and oastal Grabbin": A ontemporary !e"al Pluralist

Perspective

MAAREN BAIN(

he =$rabbi!$7 of mari!e a!d coastal resources# "hich is a topic ofco!temporary scholarly a!d policy co!cer!# has clear co!!otatio!s ofle$al pluralism. After all# the =$rabbi!$7 of resources by po"erful e8ter!alparties is freue!tly le$itimiCed by refere!ce to la" that di4ers from the!orms a!d values of those from "hom resources =are $rabbed7. 6!e-sidedappropriatio! is thus the result of the asymmetrical i!teractio! of le$alsystems a!d their adhere!ts.

his paper co!siders the theory of ocea! a!d coastal $rabbi!$ a$ai!st thebac/drop of i!te!sied $lobal usa$e of these $eo$raphical fri!$e Co!es. It

ve!tures a perspective that positio!s =$rabbi!$7 i! a lar$er picture of le$alpluralist i!teractio!. E8amples are dra"! from the co!Fict ta/i!$ place i!the 0al/ Bay bet"ee! semi-i!dustrial shers from amil Nadu a!d theirsmall-scale sher collea$ues i! !orther! 'ri a!/a.

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!e"al Pluralism$ Se%ual &iolence and Public Secrecy in 'ndia

0RAI'%A BA:I

U!precede!ted a!d sustai!ed protests follo"ed the brutal $a!$ rape a!d

subseue!t death of a H years old "oma! i! a bus i! Delhi o! JKDecember HLJH. he protests tra!sformed the discursive a!d juridicalla!dscape by poi!ti!$ to the !eed to do justice to those "ho reveal thepublic secret of rape 3 everyo!e "as tal/i!$ about "hat is $e!erally/!o"! but !ot usually spo/e! about 1aussi$ J2. he paper maps ho"state a!d !o!-state la" co!stitutes the public secrecy of rape. Movi!$a"ay from the classic de!itio!s of le$al pluralism# I be$i! by reco$!iCi!$that customary practices sit at the heart of state la" just as !o!-state la"is mimetic of the form of state la". I ar$ue that state la" is e8perie!ced

as af/aesue "he! it mimics# tolerates a!d competes "ith !o!-state la"to produce impu!ity. Eually the mythic# customary or caste orderi!scribes a temporality that substitutes# challe!$es or compleme!ts thetemporalities of state la". he productio! of multiple temporalities ofstate a!d !o!-state la" is co!stitutive of the public secrecy of rape.0ublicity the! does !ot destroy the public secret by sta$i!$ a! e8pose;rather state a!d !o!-state la" are privile$ed sites of the productio!#!e$otiatio! a!d ma!a$eme!t of public secrets.

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To(ards a Feminist )nderstandin" of !e"al Pluralism in 'ndia

RIM0I B6RA%


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*on+State !e"al Actors and ,e"ulation of Se%uality: A ase Study

of Student #r"anisation in Assam

B%ANU0RAB%A BRA%MA

'tude!t activism as a! importa!t are!a of !o!-state le$al practises is a!importa!t carrier of ideas a!d is i!Fue!tial i! co!tributi!$ to debatesarou!d politics# e!viro!me!t# eco!omy a!d social justice. hey ho"everare !ot primary harbi!$ers of social cha!$e. he claim of mo!opoly overmoral a!d cultural life of the people made by the stude!t or$a!isatio!s ofthe re$io! is reFected by the moral a!d cultural codes ofte! sou$ht to beimposed by such or$a!isatio! o! particular commu!ities-

'ocial co!trol mecha!isms are routi!ely e!forced throu$h de!itio!s of"hat is !ormal a!d !atural. 'e8ualityrefers to the total e8pressio! of "hoyou are. It is throu$h the cate$ories of "oma!hood a!d heterose8ualitythat tries to co!trol $e!der ide!tities a!d se8uality. ,ome! depicted as a!emblematic bearer of eth!icity# class# a!d castes are al"ays vul!erable toviole!ce. No!-state le$al actors such as the stude!t or$a!isatio!s i!Assam reiterate domi!a!t !otio!s of "hat is $ood a!d bad a!d i! theprocess re$ulate se8uality# more ofte!# acti!$ as the guardianof society.'tude!t or$a!isatio! is re$arded to be a! active a$e!t of social cha!$e

but the approach i! this paper is di4ere!t. here e8ists a! e8clusivist!otio! of ide!tity i! Assam "here all se!se of solidarity bet"ee! di4ere!toppressed $roups has $ive! "ay to a se!se of mutual suspicio!. hisi!creasi!$ !otio! of ide!tity politics i! Assam /eeps the stude!tor$a!isatio! al"ays i! a state of fear of losi!$ co!trol a!d of subju$atio!of their o"! cultural ide!tity. he ce!tral problem is that "ome! areoppressed by moralistic co!trols o! their se8ual e8pressio! by these !o!-state le$al actors. ,ome! "ho suppress their se8uality to avoiddomi!atio! are disadva!ta$ed by their socially imposed i!ability toappreciate fully a ce!tral aspect of huma! relatio!s. ,ome! "ho see/se8ual freedom# by co!trast# are susceptible to e8ploitatio!.

%e!ce# the objective of this paper is to e8plore ho" se8uality is bei!$re$ulated by !o!-sate le$al actors such as stude!t or$a!isatio!s i!Assam. A! attempt "ill be made to e8plore their vie"s to"ards liberty#a!d their perceived !otio! about $e!der euality. his paper "ill map theemer$e!ce of the cate$ory of moral polici!$ a!d evolve a classicatio! ofthe forms of moral polici!$ adopted by stude!t $roups i! Assam. A!e!deavour to loo/ at ho" the a$e!cies of the state such as the police

re$ulate se8uality i! the !ame of culture# !atio! or morality# throu$h le$ala!d ille$al mea!s "ill be attempted# "hich "ill be ju8taposed "ith

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mappi!$ the tech!iues of humiliatio! adopted by !o!-state le$al actorsspecically i! Assam.

Anta"onistic Alliances . The )rban Poor and the Slum !a( in

Ban"alore

AERI %ARIA'

Domi!a!t !otio!s of le$ality a!d ille$ality have bee! co!tested primarilythrou$h the practices of the urba! poor i! I!dia. here are bee! di4ere!t"ays of theoriCi!$ these practices 3 as (hatterjee7s political society

1HLL2# as Be!jami!7s occupa!cy urba!ism 1HLLO2# Roy7s 'ubalter!urba!ism 1HLJJ2 a!d ia!$7s porous le$alities 1HLLP2 to describe theprocesses throu$h "hich state la" is co!tested a!d re-appropriated i!vibra!t "ays. hese practices challe!$e domi!a!t le$al frame"or/s thatcrimi!aliCe urba! poor ille$alities "hile valoriCi!$ elite ille$alities. hispaper loo/s at the "ays i! "hich the urba! poor deal "ith the slum la"#co!testi!$# !e$otiati!$ a!d re-appropriati!$ the la" i! "ays that $obeyo!d the scope of its provisio!s. hrou$h eth!o$raphic research "itho!e urba! or$a!iCatio! i! Ba!$alore# I loo/ at the "ays i! "hich a parallel

set of !o!-state practices $uide a!d direct the e!forceme!t of the slumla". hese practices challe!$e the domi!a!t he$emo!ic co!ceptio!s ofle$alities a!d ille$alities allo"i!$ the urba! poor to pe!etrate the pores ofthe slum la"# e!abli!$ them to participate a!d claim redistributio! from ale$al machi!ery that is other"ise lar$ely distrusted. ,hile this has bee!vie"ed positively as a! i!sta!ce of participatio! a!d citiCe!ship asproposed by ma!y# I ar$ue that these practices also come "ith their set ofproblems# of tra!spare!cy# represe!tatio! a!d hierarchies "ithi! urba!social moveme!ts as also faci!$ a ris/ of co-optatio! by the state.

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The Justice of /ealin"

'MIA E,ARI @A''A

his essay based o! a!thropolo$ical eld"or/ i! !orth I!dia# focuses o!o!-$oi!$ practices at specic heali!$ shri!es to e8ami!e ho" co!cepts ofjustice are u!derstood a!d i!vo/ed. As alter!atives to the /i!d of justicethat may or may !ot be accessed throu$h liti$atio! i! $over!me!t la"courts# the locatio!s ide!tied here have evolved primarily as sites todispel feeli!$s of hopeless!ess for those reuiri!$ redress throu$h judiciali!terve!tio!. ,hile the cases are embedded i! u!eual la!d a!d po"erstructures a!d ofte! ca!!ot be resolved for various reaso!s# the !earimpossibility of redress o! the temporal pla!e is compe!sated for by the

pote!tial for closure throu$h me!tal a!d spiritual heali!$ i! the shri!es1dargahs)# the Qcourts of sai!tsQ. he prese!tatio! e8ami!es the ma!!eri! "hich co!cepts of justice a!d a judicial vocabulary are i!vo/ed a!du!derstood# o4eri!$ visitors relief a!d succour. I! a! e4ort to emphasiCethis cultures specically Islamicate character# !either %i!du or Muslim#but associated "ith a disti!ctive cultural evolutio! i! the south Asia! sub-co!ti!e!tal co!te8t# rece!t scholarship has elided over e8perie!ces a!dperceptio!s about e8clusio! from justice# "hich is "hat le!ds i!creasi!$releva!ce to# a!d accou!ts for# the phe!ome!o!s appeal.

Moreover# co!cer!s about the drama ofpossessionat shri!es has te!dedto deFect focus# obscuri!$ deeper a!d more problematic issues relati!$ tou!resolved property disputes 3i! a "ord# dispossession.%o" "ome! o!the mar$i!s "ho are rarely i! a positio! to o"! la!d a!d havi!$ littleaccess to productive resources are !evertheless implicated i! thesedisputes# forms a! i!tri$ui!$ layer I see/ to e8ami!e.

Based o! eth!o$raphic eld"or/ co!ducted i! @au!pur district bet"ee!HLJH-HLJ# I as/ about the e8te!t to "hich a mea!i!$ful form of justice is

accessed i! this "ay# the !ature a!d scope of the alter!ative it o4ers#a!d ho" e8perie!ces of e8clusio! a!d lac/ of access to the formal justicesystems of courts# as "ell as villa$e a!d caste cou!cils# are compe!satedfor# as a result. ,hat mi$ht be lear!t from the phe!ome!o! about the$e!dered !ature of property disputes# "ome!s access to la!d a!d otherproductive resources Apart from the $e!dered !ature of access to justice#the paper see/s to i!terve!e i! the literature o! $e!der disparity "ithi!households# to e!uire ho" the latter surfaces i! co!te8ts of disputeresolutio!# the specic role e8pectatio!s about me! a!d "ome!# as "ell

as their subversio!. he paper also e8ami!es the implicatio!s of theseprocesses for childre!.

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My prese!tatio! as/s ho" i! subjecti!$ o!eself to this culturally acceptedform of practice# "ome! may assist in the creation of meaning. %o" do"ome! o4er levels of comprehe!sio! of loss# a!d a ra!$e of tra$ic a!dtraumatic occurre!ces that may other"ise remai! i!comprehe!sible


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The 'nterplay of ustomary and Statutory !a( throu"h

0unicipalisation in Ai1a(l$ 0i1oram

AI%A AMA% AND 'MIA ,AINGANAR

he Srd a!d Sth (o!stitutio!al Ame!dme!ts lar$ely do !ot apply i! theNorth East re$io!; i!stead a si$!ica!t level of $over!a!ce auto!omy "as"ritte! i!to the 'i8th 'chedule of the (o!stitutio! for i!corporati!$ tribalcommu!ities i! these re$io!s i!to the I!dia! U!io!. he mostdece!traliCed u!it of $over!a!ce i! MiCoram# therefore# have bee! illa$e(ou!cils that are a!imated by a mi8 of customary a!d statutory la"s# a!d1cultural2 !orms a!d re$imes of ri$hts alter!ative to those of the mar/eta!d private property. ill rece!tly the state did!7t have urba! local$over!me!ts but this cha!$ed "ith the i!troductio! of the @a"aharlal

Nehru Natio!al Urba! Re!e"al Missio! 1@NNURM2 "hich made fu!di!$ fori!frastructure co!ditio!al o! u!derta/i!$ urba! $over!a!ce Sth(o!stitutio!al Ame!dme!t reforms. If "e u!dersta!d $over!a!cestructures to serve as !ot o!ly admi!istrative a!d political u!its but "ithcultural co!te!t# "hat sorts of resista!ce a!d subversio! is see! i!respo!se to the lo!$ arm of the state a!d state policy via @NNURM A!dho" are customary la"s# ri$hts a!d practices $etti!$ re-"or/ed throu$hthe co!stitutio! a!d operatio! of the !e"ly formed AiCa"l Mu!icipal(ou!cil

he paper e8ami!es the i!terplay of !e" i!stitutio!s 1AiCa"l Mu!icipal(ou!cil2 a!d re$imes of ri$hts "ith traditio!al structures 1local cou!cils#earlier called villa$e cou!cils2. It focuses specically o! practices a!d le$alprovisio!s of i!clusio!5e8clusio! that have proved co!te!tious# such as"ome!7s reservatio!s i! the !e" MiCoram Mu!icipalities Act# property ta8assessme!t a!d state provided a4ordable housi!$.

he paper is based o! detailed i!tervie"s 1of elected leaders# commu!itybased or$a!iCatio!s a!d state a!d local $over!me!t o9cials2 a!d archival

a!alysis co!ducted by the authors over the course of 6ctober HLJ-March HLJP.

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!ac2 of consensus: 3hap Panchayats and State !a(

ARUN AUMANA

he paper aims to a!alyCe te!sio!s bet"ee! (ivil 'ociety# 'tate a" a!dhap 0a!chayats. he troubled relatio!ship is u!derstood as the product

of a comple8 u!dersta!di!$ of co!se!sus "ithi! the I!dia! co!stitutio!alo!$ "ith a problematic comi!$ to$ether of liberal theory "ithdemocratic theory. he paper also aims to arrive at co!ditio!s for thepossibility of e4ective dialo$ue a!d i!ter!al reform of said i!stitutio! a!dits practice. I! particular# the paper aims to articulate# $ive! the !ature ofhap 0a!chayats a!d its practice# ho" the state ca! i!terve!e a!ddialo$ue e4ectively so as to arrive at reform of the i!stitutio!.

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'nterro"atin" the 'nterface of Gender$ 40odern !e"ality and

4Traditional ustomary !a(: A ase Study of Santhal

A0ARA@I%A RA@A AND BIRENDRA UMAR

he I!dia! state prese!ts itself as the ui!tesse!tial post-colo!ial state"hich is co!ti!uously ima$i!i!$ a!d re-ima$i!i!$ its !ature a!d scope atthe i!terface of traditio! a!d moder!ity. 6!e of the major Co!es of this/i!d of !e$otiatio! occurs i! the le$al frame"or/ "here variouscompo!e!ts li/e democratic co!stitutio!al la"; commu!ity based la";reli$ious perso!al la"s are e!$a$i!$ a!d !e$otiati!$ "ith each other"ithi! the frame"or/ of the =u!iversal7 moder! state structure. hisu!iversality is sou$ht to be achieved throu$h a process of accommodatio!a!d represe!tatio! of di4ere!t eth!ic $roups# i!di$e!ous commu!ities#

caste a!d $e!der. here are ma!y types of i!di$e!ous commu!ity i! I!dia"hich have their o"! customary la"s alo!$ "ith commu!ity values. hesela"s i! ta!dem "ith the particular values operate i! a comple8 terrai! ofthe social# political a!d eco!omic structure. I!dia after i!depe!de!ceoperatio!aliCed the =moder!7 co!stitutio!al state structure based o! thephilosophy of social# political a!d eco!omic justice. he I!dia! co!stitutio!is a moder! docume!t that uses a! a9rmative la!$ua$e ofe!fra!chiseme!t# euality a!d liberty. he co!stitutio! came "ith thepromise of e!suri!$ ema!cipatio! a!d empo"erme!t irrespective of aperso!7s particular caste# class# $e!der# reli$io!# re$io!# locatio!. %o"everthis moder! project of the I!dia! state could !ot fully ta/e-o4 "he! faced"ith the comple8ities of the pre-e8iste!t multiple form of or$a!iCi!$#operati!$ a!d discipli!i!$ of the society.

his paper is a! attempt to e!$a$e "ith the particularity of the e8perie!ceof the =$e!dered citiCe!7 "ho is at the i!tersectio! of the moder! la" "iththe commu!ity based customary la"s. I! I!dia there are ma!y i!di$e!ouscommu!ities of "hich the third lar$est is the 'a!thal# "hich is ahomo$e!ous commu!ity. he 'a!thal commu!ity has its o"! particular

customary la" "hich $over!s them i! all aspects of =public7 a!d =private7life# especially the ri$hts a!d access to resources. he moder! state alsohas its set of u!iversal la"s "hich deals "ith the issue of ri$hts a!daccess to resources. Both these sets of =le$al7 formulatio!s are assessedas bei!$ represe!tative of traditio! a!d moder!ity "hich i!teract a!di!tersect. It "ill be i!teresti!$ to e8ami!e the co!ver$e!ce a!ddiver$e!ce of the customary la" a!d moder! la" particularly i! theire!$a$eme!t "ith the "ome!7s uestio!.

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'nformin" the ontemporary throu"h the 0ythic: The Bi1arre

5orld of Assisted onception

ANINDIA MA@UMDAR

At a rece!tly co!cluded e8hibitio! o! &he Body i! I!dia! Art+ 1J March 3S @u!e HLJ# Natio!al Museum# Ne" Delhi# I!dia2 a sectio! of the e8hibitsho"cased ima$es a!d sculptures from I!dia! art o! &miraculous births+.he co!cept !ote for the e8hibit states?

The birth stories of Gods and Heroes across dierent religions are

miraculous or immaculate conceptions. The Quran describes the birth of

ary as a boon resulting from an ageing mothers prayers !ho promises

to dedicate the child to the ser"ice of God. The Jain Tirthan#aras choose!hich parents to be born to as a result of the accumulation of good $arma

from their pre"ious li"es. The %oddhisatt"a &iddhartha '%uddha( entered

his mother ayas !omb in a dream and !as born to predictions that he

!ould renounce the !orld. rophesies foretold the birth of $rishna

compelling his parents to gi"e him up for adoption so that he could ful*l

his predestined destiny. &i"as son $arti#eya !as born of many mothers

and ar"atis son Ganesh !as mysteriously concei"ed in &hi"as absence.

+ll of these stories highlight that each religion gi"es importance to the

miraculous nature of birth, and ma#e clear that no single con*gurationde*nes or suggests the norm of an ideal family.

he same myths are resurrected i! co!versatio!s o! the Draft Guideli!esfor Assisted Reproductive ech!olo$ies i! I!dia. he I!dia! (ou!cil ofMedical Research a!d the medical commu!ity see/ to reify mytholo$y byresurrecti!$ it i! co!temporary practice such as i!-vitro fertiliCatio! a!dcommercial surro$acy 3 both of "hich i!volve ase8ual# assistedreproductio!. I! case of commercial $estatio!al surro$acy# a supposedlymulti-billio! dollar i!dustry# the practice of i!cubati!$ articially i!duced

pre$!a!cies i! the bodies of I!dia! "ome! belo!$i!$ to lo"er socio-eco!omic $roups 3 the mythic parallels sou$ht to le$aliCe the practicelead to uestio!s re$ardi!$ le$itimacy a!d la" itself.

,hat form of le$itimacy is sou$ht from tales a!d stories that mirrorco!temporary practices of ase8ual reproductio! ,hat form of authority isbei!$ cha!!elled here Is its =divi!e7 character a! easy refere!ce poi!t forpractices that defy a!y form of e8pla!atio! More importa!tly# ho" doesmedici!e# medical practice a!d medical re$ulatio! i!tersperse "ith

mytholo$y a!d reli$io! to u!dersta!d its place i! the "orld

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I! this paper I a!alyse some of the myths of =immaculate co!ceptio!7 thatco!ti!ue to mar/ our popular ima$i!atio! especially "ithi! the %i!dupa!theo! to u!dersta!d ho" a!d "hy they co!ti!ue to i!formco!temporary practices of la" ma/i!$ a!d $ra!ti!$ le$itimacy. I! this

process# cultures collide a!d i!teract i! "ays that become part of lar$ersocial dialo$ues re$ardi!$ emer$i!$ families a!d ide!tities. Assistedreproductio! becomes e!meshed "ith mytholo$y a!d reli$ious discourseto positio! itself as both acceptable a!d le$itimate. Dra"i!$ fromemer$i!$ a!alysis of I< cultures a!d medical a!thropolo$y# this paperpositio!s its !di!$s "ithi! the co!temporary "orld of politico-reli$iousla" ma/i!$ that seemi!$ly co!ti!ues to dra" its i!spiratio! from thedivi!e.

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The 0a2in" of the !e"al Sub6ect: Peasant !iti"ants in 7arly 89th

entury Garh(al /imalayas

RA'%MI 0AN

he credibility a!d e4ective!ess of !o!-state systems of la" "asu!dermi!ed "he! property disputes "ere brou$ht u!der formaladjudicatio! i! early t"e!tieth ce!tury Garh"al %imalayas. heapplicatio! of $e!eralised rules# "hich "ere the hallmar/ of moder!adjudicatio!# "as carried out i! "ays that did !ot $ive su9cie!t $rou!d tothe practical a!d particularistic lo$ic i! "hich familial compromises "erereached "ithi! peasa!t commu!ities. his reicatio! "as as true of(ustom as it "as of %i!du a".

he di9culty of provi!$ alter!ative claims "as compou!ded by the refusal

of colo!ial la" to reco$!iCe (o!tract as a valid mode of social re$ulatio!amo!$ colo!ial people# more so if they "ere peasa!ts operati!$ outside amar/et co!te8t.

%o"ever# the displaceme!t of !o!-state processes did !ot mea! thedisappeara!ce of ethico-!ormative life "orlds. By readi!$ the liti$a!t!arratives i! property disputes# I try to reco!struct the !ormative fromtheir descriptio! of arra!$eme!ts a!d a$reeme!ts made i! family forumsa!d pa!chayats. he la!$ua$e of local li/hats# as "ell as formal le$al

deeds# of tra!sfer# sale or $ift e8ecuted by them# is steeped i! both!ormative a!d co!tractual formulatio!s.

I ar$ue that such !ormative frame"or/s co!ti!ued to $uide peasa!t le$alsubjects. Reco$!isably ethical $oals resurface i! the !arratives ofliti$a!ts# althou$h they strate$ically represe!ted them i! forms admissiblei! formal a".

%o"ever much these !arratives are cross cut a!d domi!ated by thejudicial voice a!d its support of patrili!eal i!herita!ce as the sole claim to

property# they co!stitute a rich a!d polypho!ic dialo$ue "hose co!cer!sreFect a life"orld i! "hich other modes of property shari!$ "erepermitted a!d tolerated.

,he! the colo!ial ma$istrate accused them of bei!$ ma!ipulative#schemi!$ a!d colludi!$ to defeat the rule of i!herita!ce# he did !otu!dersta!d that these peasa!t me! a!d "ome! had lear!ed to "or/ topursue old ethically valid $oals throu$h !e" la"s a!d processes.

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'n and #utside the State: !e"al onceptions and Juridical

Practices amon" 0uslims in 'ndia

NE'%A TUAI'ER

his essay ma/es a! attempt to e8plore critical issues surrou!di!$ thei!tersectio! of state7s co!stitutio!al le$al edice a!d Muslim perso!al la"based o! sharia la" 1the body of Islamic la"2 as practiced by Muslimsadheri!$ to various schools of jurisprude!ce i! co!temporary I!dia. Itprovides a critical e8ami!atio! of simulta!eity of the le$al practicesrelated to state a!d sharia# a!d the theoretical a!d practical implicatio!sthat this simulta!eity produces. hese co!cer!s are e8plicated throu$h a!e8ami!atio! of Darul TaCa 1Islamic (ourts2 to /!o" the !ature of co!Fictbet"ee! the state la"s a!d the Islamic la" adjudicated throu$h Darul

TaCa. he essay# i! the process e8ami!es Darul TaCa7s catchme!t area;its co!stitue!cy; a!d eco!omic# educatio!al# caste a!d re$io!al 1urba!-rural2 bac/$rou!d of people "ho avail the services o4ered by Darul TaCa.

Althou$h the sharia a!d Darul TaCa are both appare!tly o!tolo$ically a!depistemolo$ically outside the ce!tralised state le$al frame"or/ a!d thestate co!sta!tly strives to subsume them u!der "hat is called commo!civil code# yet the essay e8ami!es ho" the !o!-statist sharia a!d DarulTaCa have the pote!tial to ta/e o! the characteristics of statist la" a!dcourt# a!d could produces a repertoire of petried mea!i!$s to e4ect a

"orld-vie" to sustai! relatio!s of domi!atio! i! a $ive! situatio!.

he essays# lastly ta/es i!to accou!t the dispersed le$al !otio!s a!dpractices# "hich have their o"! "ays of articulatio! i! everyday life#outside the ce!tralised le$al5juridical !ormative structures of the t"odomai!s of la". here is a !otio! of @ustice# "hich is uite dispersed a!ddi4ere!tiated that fu!ctio!s as u!co!scious $uideli!e. 'uch le$alpractices are a$ai!st le$al epistemolo$ical absolutism that causes !eatbi!aries# "hich i! tur! produce !eat !ormative le$al structures.

e$al practices are i!tri!sically li!/ed "ith society a!d social relatio!s i! a$ive! situatio! i! their historicity. hus# a!y e8ami!atio! of a reli$io-cultural specic le$al practice !eeds a "ider perspective. his essaye8ami!es the issue u!der discussio! "ithi! the frame"or/ of la"# society#culture# politics a!d history.

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omple%ities of /uman ,i"hts Development: omparin"

&ictims$ Families !a(yers in 'ndian State *on+State Justice

Processes

AMARA REI'

his paper dra"s o! a !e" boo/ o! huma! ri$hts a!d le$al pluralism i!I!dia# e!titled# The urchase of Human -ights &tandards +nd /egalluralism 0n The Global &outh 168ford U!iversity 0ress HLJK# forthcomi!$2a!d forthcomi!$ article &The 2nifying %ene*ts of &tudies in /egalluralism 34amining /ocal +ctors erspecti"es in The 0ndian

&ubcontinent+ 1@our!al of e$al 0luralism a!d U!o9cial a"# HLJK#forthcoming). he ma!uscript is $rou!ded i! i!terpretive theory a!d is

based o! the discourse of victims# their families la"yers# jud$es a!dpa!ches i!volved i! state courts 1civil a!d crimi!al as "ell as court-li!/edmediatio!s /!o"! as =lo/adalats72 a!d !o!-state justice processi!$ 1NG6s#pa!chayats a!d !ariadalats2 of huma! ri$hts violatio! cases of viole!cea$ai!st "ome!. he dataset is i! seve! la!$ua$es a!d covers ei$ht statesof I!dia. It i!cludes LL participa!t observatio!s# i!tervie"s a!duestio!!aires "ith victims 1S2# accused 1K2# family members 1L2#la"yers 1L2# jud$es 1H2 a!d !o!-'tate justice arbitrators5mediators 1O2/!o"! as &pa!ches+.

Relatively little le$al scholarship bases its a!alyses o! the discourse of thesubjects of i!ter!atio!al huma! ri$hts la" a!d particularly those actuallyi!volved i! huma! ri$hts violatio!s cases i! the developi!$ "orld i! theco!te8t of le$al pluralism.

UtiliCi!$ co!te8tual a!d discourse a!alysis# the paper compares huma!ri$hts a!d case pla!!i!$ discourses of I!dia! la"yers for plai!ti4s a!ddefe!da!ts# "ith victims of huma! ri$hts violatio!s as "ell as theirperceptio!s of the !e8us bet"ee! state a!d !o!-state la" i! relatio! to

their cases. I! so doi!$# the paper elucidates the e4ects of actors7 socialco!te8ts o! their case decisio!-ma/i!$ processes. hese social co!te8tsare stro!$ly i!fused "ith =traditio!7# =culture7 a!d =reli$io!7 a!d i!clude!et"or/s of family# /i!# a!d commu!ity. hese !et"or/s i!clude social!orms# e8ert i!Fue!ce a!d a4ect actors7 u!dersta!di!$s# attitudes# a!dco!duct i! relatio! to huma! ri$hts issues.

hrou$h the le!s of le$al pluralism# the paper further sho"s ho" "e ca!more clearly assess !ot o!ly realities o! the $rou!d i! terms of the actual

"or/i!$s of tra!s!atio!al huma! ri$hts la"s a!d domestic la"s i!complia!ce 1e.$. 0,DA2# but also the impact a!d i!ter!aliCatio! of these

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la"s by those "hom they are desi$!ed to protect. (o!seue!tly# thepaper ar$ues for $reater ac/!o"led$eme!t of the limits of la"7scapabilities# a!d the po"er of i!formal la"s i!cludi!$ socio-cultural a!dreli$ious !orms operati!$ o! the $rou!d.

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Trial and Terror: )APA in ourts

MANI'%A 'E%I

I! 'eptember HLLJ# just days after 5JJ# the $over!me!t of I!dia declared'tude!ts Islamic Moveme!t of I!dia 1'IMI2 to be a! =u!la"ful7or$a!iCatio!. ,ithi! a "ee/ of ba!!i!$ 'IMI# hu!dreds of cases "ereboo/ed a$ai!st you!$ me! "ho had bee! associated "ith 'IMI beforeitsba!; or had /!o"! 'IMI members; a!d sometimes just you!$ me! "hocould be sho"! to be members of the or$a!iCatio!.

'IMI "as ba!!ed u!der the U!la"ful Activities 0reve!tio! Act 1UA0A2 3 a!act promul$ated ori$i!ally i! JKS# a!d si!ce the! ame!ded several times

over. At the heart of UA0A are the t"i! arteries of membership 1ofu!la"ful or$a!iCatio!s2 a!d co!spiracy 1of furtheri!$ the activities of theu!la"ful or$a!iCatio!2. Both# membership to a! or$a!iCatio! that !olo!$er e8ists le$ally# a!d !ebulous char$es of co!spiracy are !otoriouslydi9cult to pi! do"!. 'eiCure of =ba!!ed literature7 a!d co!fessio!s thusform the bul/ of the evide!ce. ,hile ma!y UA0A trials e!d i! acuittals#albeit after years of i!carceratio!# ma!y co!clude i! co!victio!s# despitelac/ of evide!ce a!d despite obvious violatio! of procedural !orms by thei!vesti$ati!$ a$e!cy. he ="ar o! terror7 ofte! becomes a! e8cuse for

lo"eri!$ the burde! of proof a!d erodi!$ the due process of la".

his paper e8ami!es the "or/i!$s of this a!ti-terror la" i! the courtroomsa!d i! the ribu!al that revie"s the ba! o! the or$a!iCatio! every t"oyears.

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Parent as !e"al Sub6ect in ustomary and 0odern /indu !a(

0ADMA0RIA 'RIA%'A

%i!du la" $over!s about OLL millio! people i! I!dia a!d the term =%i!du7is used as a default cate$ory to i!clude perso!s "ho are !ot Muslim#(hristia! or 0arsi. ,ith the arrival of the British as colo!iCers# pre-moder!%i!du jurisprude!ce "as $radually replaced by moder! liberal pri!ciples#leadi!$ to the creatio! of A!$lo-%i!du la". 'everal commo! la"pri!ciples# such as restitutio! of co!ju$al ri$hts a!d "elfare pri!ciple#fou!d their "ay i!to a traditio!al le$al system. his paper traces thecreatio! of the pare!t as a $e!dered# eco!omic a!d le$al subject i! thisbody of la"# especially duri!$ the years of tra!sitio! from the colo!ial to

the post-colo!ial re$ime.


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Transactin" Su;erin" for Justice throu"h 0ovement and 7cstasy

in Dargahsof South Asia

(%IRAG %AAR

Much of a!thropolo$ical# historical a!d sociolo$ical literature is domi!atedby the fol/-classical disti!ctio!# ma$ic-ritual split# de!i$rati!$ a!dca!o!isi!$ 'u culture to superstitio!# devia!ce# ma$ic# tribal a!d fol/practices de!yi!$ it its specic tra!s$ressive# i!tersectio!al character.='uch a devaluatio! of ma$ic# i! favour of a u!iversal reli$ious e8perie!ce#is also co!so!a!t "ith the devaluatio! of popular reli$io! by Muslimscripturalist elites7. he lo$o ce!tric bias of the latter re$ards ='usm asde$e!erate# a vie" e!dorsed by orie!talists# i!dolo$ists see/i!$ =theesse!ce7 of the reli$io!.7 1Mills? JO2

his paper reFects a!d builds o! a!thropolo$ical literature 1Basu? JO#,erb!er? JO# Bellamy? HLJJ#


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Jan Sun(ai as Alternative !e"al 0odernity

RAM UMAR %AUR

I! the proposed paper I i!te!d to e8plore a!d study the democratic tre!dsof @a! 'u!"ai beyo!d the i!stitutio!aliCed frame"or/ of democracy. 0ublicheari!$ i! the life"orld of I!dia! polity a!d social life could ra!$e from=i!stitutio!aliCed7 heari!$ of courts to =i!formal7 public heari!$ ofa$$rieved social $roups. @a! 'u!"ai o! "ome! a!d Dalit ri$hts a!d issuesbecome more importa!t i! the co!te8t of failure of i!stitutio!aliCed formsof democratic $over!a!ce. @a! 'u!"ai see/s to address the structuralvul!erability of the mar$i!aliCed $roups ema!ati!$ from trampli!$#i!Fue!ci!$ or mouldi!$ scope of procedural forms of ri$hts a!d justice tothe assured lives of domi!a!t social forces. Most of the times the mostbasic of $rieva!ces of Dalits# ,ome!# ribal7s are !ot eve! accorded basicle$al treatme!t of eve! a


24/32


themselves !ot o!ly for the !arrator but also for the fello" audie!ce a!djury. he mistrust based procedural ba!ishme!t of mar$i!aliCed he!ce!ds ave!ues i! @a! 'u!"ais "here !e" modes of assertio!s# solidaritya!d resista!ce is for$ed at every step. I! such a platform# the

victims5survivor !ot o!ly =resists7 i! solidarity but also =recover7 i!solidarity. @a! 'u!"ais as such $e!erates =e$alitaria! aspiratio!s7 amo!$"ome!# Dalits# ribal7s a!d creates =liberati!$ body la!$ua$e7 as opposedto the co!strai!ed atmosphere of the pa!chayats# police statio!s orcourts. @a! 'u!"ais therefore o4ers e8citi!$ $rou!ds of i!terro$ati!$ !oto!ly the failure of i!stitutio!al forms of co!stitutio!al commitme!ts a!djustice# but also all levels of $over!a!ce# be it the crimi!al justice system#elected represe!tatives of the cou!try# the civil society a!d the morallyba!/rupt middle classes.

0ultiple !e"itimacies: Justice$ !e"ality and 'ndi"enous Systems of!a( in 'ndia

ID%U ERMA

he thesis that la" is ope! to !ot just from outside but from "ithi! thesystem of la" itself is ce!tral to discourse theories of la" proposed by theGerma! philosopher %abermas i! his early "riti!$s. %abermas starts "iththe thesis that la" has a refere!ce to validity built i!to it a!d he calls thisla"7s claim to le$itimacy. Relyi!$ upo! ,eber# he ar$ues that the

ratio!aliCatio! of society u!dermi!es reli$ious a!d metaphysicaljusticatio!s for la" a!d di4ere!tiates la" from politics a!d morality. Butu!li/e the le$al positivists# "hich i!clude ,eber# %abermas "a!ts tole$itimate the procedural reuireme!ts the former had fou!d so ce!tral tovalidate la" alo!$ "ith a subjective belief i! the le$itimacy of e8isti!$procedures.


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the basis of ri$hts. his co!ceptualiCatio! relies o! the ar$ume!t that bothmoral a!d le$al !orms are drive! to resolve problems of social i!te$ratio!i! the life"orld. Moral !orms are deeply embedded i! the life"orlds ofdi4ere!t commu!ities but lac/ the coercive po"er a!d e!forceability of

la". o assure its authority la" remai!s co!!ected to the political system;he!ce combi!e claim to le$itimacy a!d $uara!tee of le$ality. Besidessee/i!$ to reco!struct moder! la" i! terms of its relatio!ship to moralitya!d ri$ht# he spe!ds time i! co!!ecti!$ la" a!d politics u!der co!ditio!sof democratic re$imes.

As a! illustratio! of the i!creasi!$ rapidity of le$al cha!$e# let me refer tothe debates "ithi! I!dia! le$al scholarship o! the systematiCatio! of le$al!orms a!d re$ulatio!s. Early moder! codicatio!s could be co!ceived ofas authe!ticatio!s a!d a9rmatio!s of pre-e8isti!$ customary la" a!d

played a major role i! tra!smitti!$ the la"7s past i!to the future. heratio!ality of ma!y court jud$me!ts i! postcolo!ial I!dia o! ri$hts ofreli$ious mi!orities emphasiCe shifts from the co!ti!uity of the past eve!thou$h remai!i!$ deeply embedded "ithi! it. he last t"o decades hassee! ma!y more cha!$es as le$al culture a!d traditio!s have bee!i!terpreted i! statutes# la"s a!d courts. 6!e of the crucial features of theprese!t day le$al e8perie!ce is the brea/do"! i! the domi!a!ce of the!atio! state perspective. I! its place "hat "e are "it!essi!$ is pluralismof sources of la" a!d eve! its le$al orders. I! this paper# I thro" some

li$ht o! po"ers a!d fu!ctio!s of i!di$e!ous le$al systems 3 the happa!chayats a!d Nyaya pa!chayats. hap is a system of admi!istratio!peculiar to the @at commu!ity of %arya!a# Rajastha! a!d U0. hus# happa!chayats co!stitute a separate le$al order "hich ca!!ot be simplyadded to the i!herited system of !atio!al state ce!tered o! i!depe!de!telds of la". hap pa!chayats i$!ore the disti!ctio! bet"ee! public a!dprivate la" a!d develop a la" "ithout a state# eve! as they receive !e"impetus from the revolutio! i! i!formatio! a!d commu!icatio!tech!olo$y. All this a4ects the la"7s surface of e8plicit !ormative material

but also its bare life. he le$al culture from "hich actors dra" pre-u!dersta!di!$ is rapidly $oi!$ beyo!d the !atio!-state perspective as itsmemory becomes shorter tha! before. Democratic la" is !eeded to$uara!tee that !orms ca! coordi!ate social actio! a!d secure i!te$ratio!i! vie" of the preservatio! of diversity of values i! plurality of life-"orlds.

I!deed these problems have led to periodic le$al reforms that have ledma!y to dema!d that the I!dia! le$al system retur! to its traditio!al rootsspecically by the creatio! of pa!chayats. (reated i! the JPLs# Nyaya0a!chayats have the judicial po"er to deliver justice i! villa$es falli!$

u!der their jurisdictio!. hey are mai!ly i!volved "ith civil jurisdictio! a!dthey have proper rules a!d re$ulatio!s u!der the la". he a"

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commissio! i! its fourtee!th report# made the poi!t that disputes beforethem# =become easier to secure "he! the perso! clothed "ith theauthority of decidi!$ them have the adva!ta$e of /!o"i!$ the disputa!ts#the subject matter of the dispute# the "ay i! "hich the dispute arose a!d

other i!teresti!$ facts relati!$ to them+.As $lobal I!dia "it!esses assertio! by i!creasi!$ variety of $roups# eachhavi!$ its o"! disti!ct traditio!s# values a!d "orld vie"s# more co!Fictsare reached by a$reeme!ts o! co!testable matters a!d !ot o! co!ditio!si! "hich a shared basis is possible. o "hat e8te!t ca! practices i! thesesocieties brid$e the $ro"i!$ $ap bet"ee! discrimi!atio!# le$itimatio! a!dactual !orms ,hat is the role of customs a!d their e4ect o! la" a!djustice Are Dharmashastras a social !orm ma/i!$ medium for I!dia!society Are Dharma problems di4ere!t from la" problems Addressi!$

some of these uestio!s# the paper sets out to critiue %abermas7 !otio!of la" i! the co!te8t of le$ality a!d le$itimatio! i! I!dia today. %abermas7i!terve!tio!s a!d revisio!s are "elcome but the epistemolo$ical attac/ o!traditio! of moder! le$al theory u!dermi!es the basis for reform. Eve!thou$h %abermas sees facticity as factual !orms that have status of socialaccepta!ce i! te!sio! "ith social validity# it is u!clear "hether they ca!be reco!ciled throu$h democratic discursive "ill formatio!. heco!ceptual te!sio! bet"ee! facticity a!d validity that actio! !orms arevalid to those "ho could a$ree as participa!ts i! ratio!al discourse# are

major challe!$es to be overcome if i!formatio! a!d reaso! !eed to besee! i! the public space as co!stituted by illocutio!ary obli$atio!s.

'ndias Alternative !e"al 0odernity or the Bhutas T(o S(ords of

Justice

MI(%AE DU'(%E

he literature o! le$al pluralism i! I!dia abou!ds "ith e8amples of ho"commu!ities or corporate $roups settle their disputes i! a co!se!sualma!!er "ithout resorti!$ to viole!ce i! the e!forceme!t of their rules.Discipli!i!$ methods reach from social boycott to the impositio! of !es.he importa!t thi!$ is that all parties accept these settleme!ts. I! casemembers are !ot satised "ith the ruli!$s of their o"! authorities# theyca! resort to the state courts to settle their issues. hese are the stories"e hear from villa$e pa!chayats a!d slum d"ellers associatio!s# tribal

cou!cils a!d caste cou!cils. All of these use force to a certai! e8te!t a!dthe uestio! is "hether this is le$itimate. All over I!dia# ho"ever# there

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are also some very peculiar e8amples of le$al practice "hich completelyrefrai! from usi!$ force. he e!forceme!t of la"s is completely dele$atedto bei!$s li/e daivas or bhutas# devtas or ji!!s# "ho are believed to sharethis "orld "ith us. he importa!t thi!$ is that this is esse!tially a pre-a8ial

belief system# i.e. that there is !o refere!ce to a tra!sce!de!t "orld.0erpetrators are brou$ht to reaso! because they share the belief i! thesesprits# "hich are /!o"! to be capable of i!Ficti!$ $reat harm to theperpetrator a!d his family. oo/i!$ at the arms of the Bhutas of Da/shi!aa!ara# "e are remi!ded of the (hristia! doctri!e of the t"o s"ords ofjustice. I! the case of a post-a8ial reli$io! li/e (hristia!ity# the divi!es"ord "ill be applied o!ly i! the time after times. Mea!"hile the temporals"ord is used by the secular authorities. I! the case of the Bhutas#matters are sli$htly di4ere!t. 'i!ce the spirits are amo!$ us# divi!e justicedoes !ot have to "ait for a time after times. It ca! be e8ecuted i! thisvery "orld a!d a$e. %e!ce there is !o !eed for "orldly po"ers to "ieldthe temporal s"ord of justice. hey ca! completely leave matters to the$ods. hat this is !ot a tale from 6!eThousand and 8ne 9ightsis evi!cedby four local phe!ome!a that i! their combi!atio! a!d re$io!aldistributio! poi!t to a pa!-I!dia! a!d commu!ity-tra!sce!di!$phe!ome!o!.


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O#LLL cases to date# ra!$i!$ from divorce to "ife beati!$ to brutalmurders a!d more. he lmma/er Deepa Dha!raj follo"s several cases#shi!i!$ a li$ht o! ho" the "ome!7s @amaat has acuired po"er throu$hboth commu!al educatio! a!d the leaders7 persiste!t# te!acious a!dcompassio!ate i!vesti$atio! of the crimes. I! asto!ishi!$ sce!es "e

"atch the @amaat meeti!$s# "here "ome! ofte! shout over each otherabout the most di9cult facets of their perso!al lives. Above all# the"ome!7s @amaat e8ists to hold their male cou!terparts a!d local police toaccou!t# a!d to reform a profou!dly corrupt system "hich allo"s me! tota/e refu$e i! the most e8treme i!terpretatio! of the Tur7a! to justifyviole!ce to"ards "ome!.

Justice in &acanas

A Performance by ID,AN '%RI MAD%UR 0 BAA'UBRAMANAM WEAM

aca!as are rhythmic "riti!$s i! a!!ada "hich emer$ed a!d developed

duri!$ the JJtha!d JHthce!turies. 'tarti!$ from Allama 0rabhu #

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BasavaXXa # MYdYra (ha!!ayya # A//a MahYdevi a!d (ha!!a BasavaXXa#hu!dreds of aca!a/Yras developed this $e!re of "riti!$ over ma!ydecades. aca!a 'Yhitya arose as a rebellio! a$ai!st the ri$id a!d brutalpractices of caste system# social a!d $e!der i!eualities prevaili!$ i! the

society. he speciality of aca!a lies i! the simplicity of its form# adoptedby the "riters "ith the i!te!tio! of reachi!$ out to the masses "ithprofou!d philosophical ideas o! creatio!# bei!$# thou$hts o! justice a!deuality# tra!sce!de!tal e8perie!ces i! the path of mo/sha a!d Bha/ti.

5ater ,eforms in 3arnata2a and the


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democracy# capitalist mode of eco!omic $ro"th a!d huma! ri$hts asbei!$ complime!tary a!d mutually depe!de!t a!d asserts that "ith theri$ht ali$!me!t of i!stitutio!s# the promotio! of $ood $over!a!ce "illstre!$the! the political voice of the civil society# empo"er the poor a!d

ma/e $over!a!ce establishme!ts more accou!table. his perceptio!portrayed $ood $over!a!ce as a theory that i!te!ded to $o beyo!d thedebilitati!$ e4ects of the earlier structural adjustme!t a$e!da "hichemphasiCed pro-mar/et reforms i! =developi!$ cou!tries7 a!d ta/es adepoliticiCed approach to"ards restori!$ the soverei$!ty of the Global'outh a!d put them bac/ o! the developme!t path.

Because of this i!tri!sic ethical stre!$th of the developme!t discoursecoupled "ith the appare!t socio-eco!omic se!sibility# $ood $over!a!cehas e!riched the ima$i!atio! of developme!t theorists# i!ter!atio!al

developme!t a$e!cies# policy-ma/ers a!d NG6s ali/e a!d co!tributed tothe rei!ve!tio! of the developme!t assista!ce i!dustry.


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he seco!d is to describe ho" the reforms are co!structed to i!sist thatcommercialiCatio! a!d privatiCatio! of "ater services# "hether private orpublic# lead to realiCatio! of the ri$ht to "ater by the poor a!d empo"erthem to e8ercise their clie!t po"er to ma/e service providers accou!table#

tri$$eri!$ a virtuous spiral of participatory democracy.he third aspect is to hi$hli$ht ho" the domi!a!ce of the $ood$over!a!ce discourse i! the "ater sector is bei!$ resisted a!d to e8ploreopportu!ities a!d limitatio!s o4ered by this stru$$le i! the deepe!i!$ ofdemocracy a!d the emer$e!ce of !e" forms of "ater $over!a!ce that issocially just# culturally se!sitive# eco!omically prude!t a!d ecolo$icallysustai!able.

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The )ltimate aste Sanction Faces the ourt: 7%communication in

8=stentury Tamil *adu

Z6[ %EADE

I! this co!tributio!# I "ill e8plores the "ider topic of the clash ofparadi$ms bet"ee! state la" a!d caste !orms i! the eld of arbitratio!a!d judicial practices throu$h specic cases studies of rece!t court casesof e8commu!icatio! i! amil Nadu.

E8commu!icatio!# or suspe!sio! from caste# is the severa!ce of a!i!dividual reli$ious# social a!d eco!omical relatio!s of her5his birth $roup.osi!$ o!e7s caste# or rather &falli!$+ from o!e7s caste# to borro" the

'a!s/rit term employed i! the earliest descriptio! of this phe!ome!o!#co!stitutes is the most severe form of pu!ishme!t ha!ded do"! by castepa!chayats i! amil Nadu. he cha!$i!$ perceptio!s a!d le$islatio!s -over !early t"o ce!turies- of the ri$hts of castes to e8clude theirmembers reveals the ever comple8 relatio!ship bet"ee! the statejudiciary a!d caste society? for the colo!ial period# that of the comple8ityof le$ally accommodati!$ caste auto!omy a!d civil ri$hts; duri!$ the rstfour decades post-I!depe!de!ce# that of the co!fusio!s a!d te!sio!s$e!erated by the primacy of reli$io! i! the u!dersta!di!$ of custom a!d

perso!al la" a!d !ally# over the last t"o decades or so# a !e" chapteri! the perceptio! of caste pa!chayats a!d their sa!ctio!s is bei!$ "ritte!#that of the &ob!o8ious practice of imposi!$ pu!ishme!ts+# "hich thisco!tributio! "ill e8plore.

hrou$h the study of a !umber of rece!t cases brou$ht by=e8commu!icated7 i!dividuals a!d families to the Madras %i$h (ourt# as"ell as a scruti!y of their media covera$e# I "ill try to u!ravel the debatea!d te!sio!s surrou!di!$ the rece!t crimi!alisatio! of the ultimate castesa!ctio!.

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