No need to ban khap panchayats: CM Kejriwal
January 31, 2014  08:59
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, who described himself as an 'anarchist' earlier this month, has now sparked a controversy when he said he does not see the need for banning 'khap panchayats' because they serve a "cultural purpose". 

Kejriwal, who is a self-proclaimed advocate of progressive social politics, told a news agency in an interview that he would not ban the illegal village courts.

Notably, khap panchayats often support harsh treatment of women and issue misogynistic diktats, including ordering 'dishonour killings'. 
 
According to Reuters, the 45-year-old's stand on the unelected all-male bodies contrasts with that of some women's groups who want them dismantled. 

"No, it is not a question of banning these panchayats," Kejriwal told Thomson Reuters Foundation late on Monday. "Khap Panchayats are a group of people who come together. There is no bar on people to assemble in this country ... (But) whenever they take a wrong decision, whenever they take an illegal decision, they ought to be punished." 
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