Examine the ways in which panchayats regulated Mughal rural society.

Question 12:Examine the ways in which panchayats regulated Mughal rural society.

The correct answer is -i. The village panchayat was an assembly of elders with hereditary rights over their property. ii. the panchayat was usually a heterogeneous body. iii. An oligarchy, the panchayat represented various castes and communities iv. The decisions made by panchayats were binding on the members. v. The panchayat was headed by a headman known as muqaddam or mandal vi. The headman was chosen through the consensus of the village elders, and that this choice had to be ratified by the zamindar vii. Headmen held office as long as they enjoyed the confidence of the village elders, failing which they could be dismissed by them. viii. The chief function of the headman was to supervise the preparation of village accounts, assisted by the accountant or patwari of the panchayat. ix. The panchayat derived its funds from contributions made by individuals to a common financial pool. x. Panchayat ensured that caste boundaries among the various communities inhabiting the village were upheld. xi. Panchayats also had the authority to levy fines and inflict more serious forms of punishment like expulsion from the community. xii. Any other relevant point Any eight points to be explained