Refugee Review Tribunal

AUSTRALIA

RRT RESEARCH RESPONSE

Research Response Number: IND32119 Country: Date: 24 August 2007

Keywords: India – – Rod (Chowdhary) Caste – Panchayad – Legal Status

This response was prepared by the Research & Information Services Section of the Refugee Review Tribunal (RRT) after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the RRT within time constraints. This response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum. This research response may not, under any circumstance, be cited in a decision or any other document. Anyone wishing to use this information may only cite the primary source material contained herein.

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Questions

1. Please provide information on the Rod (Chowdhary) caste in Haryana, particularly any discrimination they might face as members of that caste. 2. Question removed. 3. Please provide information on the role of the Panchanyad in Haryana. 4. Does a Panchanyad have legal status? 5. What kind of role do the members of the Panchanyad undertake?

RESPONSE

1. Please provide information on the Rod (Chowdhary) caste in Haryana, particularly any discrimination they might face as members of that caste.

A search of the sources consulted found little information regarding the Rod (Chowdhary) caste in Haryana.

An article in Frontline dated 10-23 September 2005 refers to comments by the secretary of a literacy campaign in Haryana regarding “pastoral communities like Gadariya and Rod” (Rajalakshmi, T.K. 2005, ‘Power of literacy’, Frontline, Volume 22, Issue 19, 10-23 September http://www.hinduonnet.com/fline/fl2219/stories/20050923002404600.htm - Accessed 8 August 2007 – Attachment 1).

An article in The Tribune () dated 22 October 1999 indicates that a former Haryana Pradesh Congress (I) Committee chief wanted “the benefit of reservation” to “be extended to the left-out backward classes of Jat, Bishnoi and Rod in Haryana” (‘Implementation of report sought’ 1999, The Tribune (Chandigarh), 22 October http://www.tribuneindia.com/1999/99oct22/haryana.htm#5 – Accessed 8 August 2007 – Attachment 2).

The Rod Caste is not on the central list of other backward classes in Haryana on the National Commission for Backward Classes website (‘Central List of Other Backward Classes - Haryana’ (Undated), Government of India, National Commission for Backward Classes (NCBC) website http://ncbc.nic.in/backward-classes/haryana.htm - Accessed 8 August 2007 – Attachment 3), nor on a list of Scheduled Castes in Haryana on the Census of India website (‘List of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes – Haryana’ (Undated), Census of India website http://www.censusindia.net/results/harscst.PDF - Accessed 8 August 2007 – Attachment 4).

There is also mention of a Rode community in Haryana. An article dated 11 May 2006 in The Hindu refers to “the land-owning Rode community” in a village in district, Haryana (Narrain, Siddharth 2006, ‘Justice for Dalits still a dream’, The Hindu, 11 May http://www.hinduonnet.com/2006/05/11/stories/2006051105731100.htm – Accessed 28 March 2007 – Attachment 5).

3. Please provide information on the role of the Panchanyad in Haryana. 4. Does a Panchanyad have legal status? 5. What kind of role do the members of the Panchanyad undertake?

A search of the sources consulted found no information regarding the role of the panchanyad in Haryana. There was reference found to panchayats in Haryana and in other parts of India.

A recent article dated 23 April 2007 by Justice P.N. Bhagwati, a former Chief Justice of India, provides information on the Panchayati Raj system in India. It is stated in the article that:

‘Panchayat’ literally means assembly (yat) of five (panch) wise and respected elders chosen and accepted by the village community. Traditionally, these assemblies settled the disputes between individuals…

Mahatma Gandhi advocated Panchayati Raj, as a decentralized form of Government where each village is responsible for its own governance. He coined the term “Gram Swaraj”, which when translated into English means Independent Village Republics. It was indeed the prophetic ability of the father of our nation to see that a country, which is primarily rural, cannot develop if the people in its villages are unable to make decisions that affect them most…

The founding fathers Independent India recognized the concept of self-governance vide Article 40 in the Directive Principles of State Policy of the Indian Constitution and provided for the setting up of village Panchayats. However, as the Directive principles of State Policy are non-justiciable there was no pressure on any state to set up such a system. Many saw this Article as a concession to Gandhi, rather than as a serious matter to be immediately implemented.

… In the year 1993, the union government amended the Constitution of India. The amendments known as the 73rd and the 74th amendments, mandated the empowerment of local governments-rural and urban respectively, as constitutional entities. The 73rd and 74th amendments to the Constitution of India constituted a new chapter in the process of democratic decentralization in India. The amendments were seen as a revolution based on maximum democracy and maximum devolution.

The Constitution (73rd Amendment) Act, 1992 envisages States to establish a three-tier system of strong, viable and responsive Panchayats at the village, intermediate and district levels. It also lays out 29 areas of responsibility that have been given to the Panchayats, which cover almost all aspects of village life.

Similarly, the Constitution (74th Amendment) Act, 1992 envisages the establishment in municipalities in the urban areas. States are expected to devolve adequate powers, responsibilities and finances upon these bodies so as to enable them to prepare plans and implement schemes for economic development and social justice. These Acts provide a basic framework of decentralization of powers and authorities to the Panchayati Raj/Municipal bodies at different levels. However, responsibility for giving it a practical shape rests with the States. States are expected to act in consonance with the spirit of the Acts for establishing a strong and viable system of local self- government.

The Panchayat Raj system has a three-tier structure, viz (i) the Village Panchayat or the Gram Panchayat, (ii) the Panchayat Samitis and (iii) the Zila Parishad.

These bodies, which are legally local government, have pyramidal structure. At the base is the gram Sabha – the entire body of citizens in a village of “Grama”. This is the general body that elects the local government and charges it with specific responsibilities. This body is expected to meet at specific times and approve major decisions taken by the elected body. (Above this basic unit of democracy, is) the Gram Panchayat, which is the first level elected body.

The middle rung institutions are the Panchayati Samitis, which function as the Block Level; each Block consists of many villages. Finally, there are the Zila Parishads that function as the District Level. The purpose of these two institutions is mainly to co-ordinate the activities of the Gram Panchayats and to provide them with such capacities that cannot be created solely at the micro level. The powers that these Panchayats enjoy are enshrined in the laws enacted by each state, and, in India, there is considerable variation across states.

…Today new provisions relating to the 73rd and 74th amendments have been incorporated in Part IX of the Constitution in India. As this point, I would like to introduce to you the basic features of part IX of the Constitution.

* Constitutional status to the Panchayats, giving them uniformity by making the three-tier system a permanent feature.

* Panchayats to be constituted in every State at three tiers: the village, intermediate and district level, except in States with a population not exceeding 2 million where there will be only village and district Panchayats.

* Establishing a village Assembly or Gram Sabha in each village, which would exercise such powers and perform such functions at the village level, as the State may provide by law.

* Members of Panchayats at all levels will be elected through direct elections. The election of the chairperson at the intermediate and district level will be through indirect elections.

* Seats are reserved for marginalized communities called Schedule Castes and Scheduled Tribes at all levels according to their population. Not less than one-third of seats are reserved for women.

* The office of chairperson will also be subject to this provision of reservation.

* A uniform five-year term has been granted to the Panchayats. However, in case of premature dissolution, elections must be held within six months of the date of dissolution.

* Panchayats are tacked with (i) preparing plans and implementing schemes for social justice and economic development; (ii) in regard to matters listed in the 11th Schedule.

* State legislature authorizes the Panchayats to levy, collect and appropriate suitable local taxes. The Government can make grants-in-aid to the Panchayats from the Consolidated Fund of the concerned State.

* Review of the financial position of the Panchayats will be undertaken by a State Finance Commission, which shall be constituted every five years.

* State Election Commissions shall be constituted in each state to ensure free and fair elections to the Panchayats.

Provisions relating to elections and constitution of Panchayats, reservations of elective offices for women and for the marginalized communities, setting up of an independent Finance Commission and State Election Commissioner in each State, maintenance of accounts and their audit are what might be described as mandatory provisions. These have been by and large complied with and have made Panchayati Raj irreversible at the grass roots.

… The Panchayats in tribal areas of nine states- in what is called- Schedule V Areas have been given a special legal dispensation over what is available elsewhere. This special law is called The Panchayats (Extension to the Scheduled Area) Act 1996 and it has been enacted in consonance with an enabling provision in the Constitution. This law recognizes the rights of tribal communities over natural resources, respects their traditional institutions and gives vast powers of self-governance to the tribal communities. The powers that are vested in the Gram Sabha authorize it to approve all development plans, control all functionaries and institutions in social sectors as well as manage water bodies and other natural resources, have ownership of minor forest produce, prevent alienation of land, manage village markets and resolve disputes. This remarkable law is the first law to empower people to redefine their own administrative boundaries.

… As for the challenges that have been faced in the effective implementation of the Panchayati Raj, there have been many. In certain cases, at the local level, the bureaucratic methods of the state governments has slowly started to influence the functioning of the Panchayati Raj, apart from negatively affecting the transparency of the Panchayat system. There are instances in many states where the Gram Panchayats were being dominated by the higher castes, thereby marginalizing the lower castes. Thus, in some cases, the Panchayat was becoming an institution to perpetuate the caste inequities that already existed.

Although, the constitutional amendment was an empowering tool for local self governance in India, it was not a panacea for all the problems being faced by the Panchayati Raj system. The power rooted in caste, class, gender and sometimes even religion determines the very functioning of the Panchayati Raj system. While, legal reservations for these disempowered classes allows them access to the Panchayati system, it does not necessarily remove the larger power structure, which continues to determine who will have the final say in the functioning of the Panchayat. The real change will occur when in the informal power structures become more egalitarian (Bhagwati, Justice P.N. 2007, ‘Panchayati Raj System in India’, The Island, 23 April – Attachment 6)

A copy of ‘The Constitution (Seventy-third Amendment) Act, 1992’ of India, including the Eleventh Schedule which sets out 29 areas of responsibility that may be endowed to the panchayats by the States, is attached (Republic of India 1993, ‘The Constitution (Seventy- third Amendment) Act, 1992’, Government of India, Ministry of Panchayati Raj website, 20 April http://panchayat.nic.in/amend73.htm - Accessed 21 August 2007 – Attachment 7). Also attached are copies of ‘The Constitution (Seventy-fourth Amendment) Act, 1992’ (Republic of India 1993, ‘The Constitution (Seventy-fourth Amendment) Act, 1992’, State Election Commission, Haryana website http://secharyana.nic.in/html/74.htm - Accessed 22 August 2007 – Attachment 8) and ‘The provisions of the Panchayats (Extension to the Scheduled Areas) Act, 1996’ (Republic of India 1996, ‘The provisions of the Panchayats (Extension to the Scheduled Areas) Act, 1996’, No. 40 of 1996, Government of India, Ministry of Panchayati Raj website, 24 December http://panchayat.nic.in/pesa.htm - Accessed 21 August 2007 – Attachment 9).

The section on ‘Justice, Law & Order’ in the RRT guide The Republic & States of India at a Glance, updated in July 2007, indicates that “laws made by municipal corporations, municipalities, gram panchayats (village councils) and other local bodies” are amongst a “vast body of laws made under subordinate legislation” in India (RRT Research & Information 2007, The Republic & States of India at a Glance, July – Attachment 10).

The UK Home Office country of origin information report on India dated 11 May 2007 refers to a Library of Congress Federal Research Division Country Profile for India of 2004 that indicates that below the Supreme Court, which is India’s “top legal entity,” there “are high courts, followed by a hierarchy of subordinate courts, and some states also have panchayat (village-level) courts that decide civil and criminal matters” (UK Home Office 2007, Country of Origin Information Report: India, 11 May, Paragraph 11.03 – Attachment 11).

An article from Compass Direct News dated December 2006 refers to villages in India being “governed by village headmen, or mukhiyas, who preside over village courts known as panchayats. The panchayats are locally elected bodies supported by the Indian government and generally consist of “high caste” men.” The article indicates that “[a]s an unwritten code of conduct, villagers are expected to approach panchayats rather than the police or a court of law to resolve disputes or report criminal acts” (Arora, Vishal 2006, ‘For Christians in Rural India, Dangers Hard to Avoid’, Compass Direct News, December – Attachment 12).

A UK Home Office report on a fact finding mission to India from 11-24 July 2004 regarding includes information on panchayati raj and looks at the involvement of women in panchayats. The report refers to an informal justice system that operates in rural areas of India and deals with civil and family matters (UK Home Office 2004, Report of the fact finding mission to India 11-24 July 2004 – Women in India, Paragraphs 6.125 – 6.145 – Attachment 13).

The UK Home Office report refers to an undated article on the website of The Hunger Project, which describes itself as “a global, strategic organization committed to the sustainable end of world hunger”, that provides information on panchayati raj (‘Panchayati Raj: Local Democracy in Action’ (Undated), The Hunger Project website http://www.thp.org/sai00/india/panchayat.htm - Accessed 20 August 2007 – Attachment 14).

A RRT research response dated 16 October 2003 includes information on panchayats and their functions in India (RRT Research & Information 2003, Research Response IND16226, 16 October, (Question 8) – Attachment 15).

Haryana

In relation to Haryana, a statement of conclusions reached following a visit by the Union Minister for Panchayati Raj and Petroleum & Natural Gas to Haryana on 17 and 22 August 2005 regarding devolution to panchayats in Haryana indicates that:

Pursuant to the 73rd Constitutional amendment Act 1992, Haryana enacted the Panchayati Raj Act, 1994, which came into force on April 22, 1994. Under this legislation, Panchayats at all three levels have been entrusted with duties & functions with regard to all 29 matters listed in Eleventh Schedule of the Constitution (‘Devolution to Panchayats in Haryana: The way forward: Statement of conclusions arrived at after the visit of the Union Minister for Panchayati Raj and Petroleum & Natural Gas to Haryana on 17th August 2005 and 22nd August 2005’ 2005, Government of India, Ministry of Panchayati Raj website, 22 August http://panchayat.nic.in – Accessed 21 August 2007 – Attachment 16).

A copy of an extract from the Haryana Panchayati Raj Act, 1994 is attached (‘Extract from Haryana Panchayati Raj Act, 1994’ 1994, State Election Commission, Haryana website, 22 April http://secharyana.nic.in/html/act4.htm - Accessed 22 August 2007 – Attachment 17). Also attached is a copy of the ‘Haryana Panchayati Raj Election Rules, 1994’ ( 1994, ‘Haryana Panchayati Raj Election Rules, 1994’, State Election Commission, Haryana website, 24 August http://secharyana.nic.in/html/act7.htm - Accessed 22 August 2007 – Attachment 18).

An undated report on the Government of India, Ministry of Panchayati Raj website provides the names of the zilla panchayats in Haryana, and the numbers of block panchayats and village panchayats. The links on the report provide the names of block panchayats and village panchayats in Haryana (‘Admin Reports of NPP, Ministry of Panchayati Raj, Government of India – Details of Haryana till Zilla Panchayat Tier’ (Undated), Government of India, Ministry of Panchayati Raj website http://panchayat.gov.in/adminreps/viewpansumR.asp?selstate=12&ptype=D&button1=Submi t – Accessed 24 August 2007 – Attachment 19).

An undated message from the State Election Commissioner, Haryana on the State Election Commission, Haryana website indicates that “[t]hree General elections of the Panchayats and Municipalities have been successfully held in the State in a free and fair manner. The first General elections to the Local Bodies were held in November/December, 1994, the second General elections were held in March/April, 2000 and third General elections were held in March/April, 2005” (‘Message From Commissioners Desk’ (Undated), State Election Commission, Haryana website http://secharyana.nic.in/html/message.htm - Accessed 21 August 2007 – Attachment 20).

A RRT research response dated 12 July 2007 provides information on the panchayat system in India and on violence during panchayat in April 2005 (RRT Research & Information 2007, Research Response IND31942, 12 July, (Questions 1 & 5) – Attachment 21).

An earlier article dated 15 May 2005 by the secretary of the Haryana state committee of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) comments on panchayati raj in Haryana at that time. The article indicates that the rural rich “get their womenfolk elected on seats reserved for women while they themselves continue to function as de-facto representatives with impunity” and that “most of the dalit sapanches are sought to be remote controlled by influential people”. The article also mentions that people with more than two children could not stand in the panchayat elections in Haryana (Singh, Inderjit 2005, ‘State Of Panchayati Raj In Haryana’, People’s Democracy (Weekly Organ of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), Vol. XXIX, No. 20, 15 May http://pd.cpim.org/2005/0515/05152005_haryana.htm - Accessed 12 July 2007 – Attachment 22). However, a later BBC News article dated 21 July 2006 indicates that “[p]eople with more than two children will now be able to contest local body or panchayat elections in the north Indian state of Haryana.” A ban preventing those with more than two children from contesting the local body elections had been introduced 12 years before by Haryana’s government “in a bid to control the size of the population” (‘Haryana withdraws child poll ban’ 2006, BBC News, 21 July http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/5204298.stm - Accessed 21 August 2007 – Attachment 23).

The article dated 15 May 2005 also indicates that “the bureaucracy continues to dominate most of the affairs of panchayats”, and that the Haryana government had “created village- level parallel bodies called Gram Vikas Samitis in 2002 which were given independent powers” and “bypassed the elected structure.” The article also refers to panchayats attending to a limited range of functions in Haryana (Singh, Inderjit 2005, ‘State Of Panchayati Raj In Haryana’, People’s Democracy (Weekly Organ of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), Vol. XXIX, No. 20, 15 May http://pd.cpim.org/2005/0515/05152005_haryana.htm - Accessed 12 July 2007 – Attachment 22).

A later document, being the statement of conclusions reached following a visit by the Union Minister for Panchayati Raj and Petroleum & Natural Gas to Haryana on 17 and 22 August 2005 regarding devolution to panchayats in Haryana, notes the “need to strengthen Panchayats at all levels so that they function as institutions of self-government in the letter and spirit of Article 243G of the Constitution” and sets out measures taken by the Haryana government to begin “the process of Panchayati Raj reform”. These included assigning to panchayats in Haryana “the functions of supervision and monitoring of activities of sixteen departments”, the Haryana government abolishing “the parallel institutions of Village Development Committees” and an increase in the powers of panchayats “for granting administrative approval” (‘Devolution to Panchayats in Haryana: The way forward: Statement of conclusions arrived at after the visit of the Union Minister for Panchayati Raj and Petroleum & Natural Gas to Haryana on 17th August 2005 and 22nd August 2005’ 2005, Government of India, Ministry of Panchayati Raj website, 22 August http://panchayat.nic.in – Accessed 21 August 2007 – Attachment 16).

A 2006 manual by the Panchayat Department, Haryana sets out details of the administrative set-up and functions of the department, the functions and duties of the Gram Panchayat, Panchayat Samiti and Zila Parishad, a directory of officers/officials working in development and panchayats, and legislation relevant to the department (Government of Haryana 2006, ‘Manual – Publication of Documents under Section 4(1)b of the Right to Information Act, 2005 of Panchayat Department, Haryana Chandigarh’, Government of India, Right to Information website http://cicharyana.gov.in/writereaddata/Panchayats/Proactive%20Disclosure/PAN17.pdf - Accessed 21 August 2007 – Attachment 24). An article dated 15 January 2007 refers to Haryana “developing a data base management information system for all the 6,194 panchayats, 119 panchayat samitis and 19 zila parishads in the state to launch IT enabled e-governance across all tiers of the panchayats.” The article also includes information on funding with respect to panchayats in Haryana (‘Agri Haryana villages go hitech’ 2007, Financial Express, 15 January – Attachment 25).

The previously mentioned article dated 15 May 2005 on panchayati raj in Haryana indicates that “it is found often that the panchayat leaders rally in favour of culprits along with the police” in cases of rape and dowry death. “This way, victims are further victimised by the panchayats who are supposed to protect the victims.” The article also indicates that “traditional caste panchayats known as Gotra Khap panchayats still continue to prevail in many social matters and quite often these outdated institutions are even found acting either in tandem with the elected panchayats or in some cases ignoring them totally in order to enforce traditional codes” (Singh, Inderjit 2005, ‘State Of Panchayati Raj In Haryana’, People’s Democracy (Weekly Organ of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), Vol. XXIX, No. 20, 15 May http://pd.cpim.org/2005/0515/05152005_haryana.htm - Accessed 12 July 2007 – Attachment 22).

Other sources also refer to village bodies called khap panchayats operating in Haryana. One article indicates that these bodies “have been acting as parallel courts,” but “have no legal sanctity and are not recognised under law.”

A recent article dated 4 July 2007 refers to “[t]he honour killing of a newly married couple in Haryana because they belonged to the same “gotra” (clan)”. The killing took place “despite the fact that the couple had sought protection from the Punjab and Haryana High Court in Chandigarh and the court had directed the to provide them with security.” The article indicates that “[i]n the last few years, village bodies - called khap panchayats in Jat dominated rural Haryana – have given diktats against marriages within the same “gotra”.” The article also indicates that “[t]he government has never taken any action against the extra-constitutional acts of these panchayats and community leaders taking the law into their own hands” (‘Haryana villagers not ashamed of honour killings’ 2007, Indo-Asian News Service, 4 July – Attachment 26).

Another article in Frontline of 24 March – 6 April 2007, refers to “khap panchayats tightening their stranglehold over communities” in Haryana and it becoming “increasingly difficult for elected panchayat representatives to function.” It is stated in the article that:

Ironically, despite Dalits comprising 19.5 per cent of the population, their political empowerment is largely a myth even in seats reserved for them. Saalwan village has a woman sarpanch, but she remains “underground” most of the time. The legislator of Asandh, under which Saalwan falls, is also a woman, Raj Rani of the Congress. But there is very little she can do for Dalits of the place.

It is well known that in Haryana elected Dalit representatives are not allowed to function. And with khap panchayats tightening their stranglehold over communities, it has become increasingly difficult for elected panchayat representatives to function. The Dalit sarpanch of Pehrawar village in , the constituency of the Congress Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda, has been missing for years; the tears of his family have long dried up. The issue continues to remain alive in the public consciousness only because the Left parties have not allowed it to slip into oblivion (Rajalakshmi, T.K. 2007, ‘Village terror’, Frontline, Volume 24, Issue 6, 24 March – 6 April http://www.flonnet.com/fl2406/stories/20070406002403900.htm – Accessed 18 May 2007 – Attachment 27).

An article in The Statesman dated 6 July 2006 indicates that “[t]he Haryana government has informed the Punjab and Haryana High Court that the khap panchayats which have been acting as parallel courts, have no legal sanctity and are not recognised under law.” According to the article, a khap panchayat that had asked “a pregnant woman to dissolve her marriage and treat her husband as her brother” had been warned against interfering in the couple’s lives. It is stated in the article that:

It will be recalled that the actions of some khap panchyats by asking married couple to annul their marriages for having married within the gotra or outside the caste have been challenged in the High Court through many public interest litigations (PILs). These include the petitions filed by the Peoples Union for Civil Liberties, chapter, through its convener Mr Ujjal Singh Sahni.

The latest case involving these khap panchayats pertains to the diktat issued by a maha panchayat of Jats of 84 villages in district to a newly-married couple to annul their marriage. The wedding was solemnised with the consent of the respective families, had been objected to by the guardians of the castes saying that the boy and the girl belonged to different castes. The girl was forced to marry a boy of her own community (‘Rural caste fora illegal: Haryana’ 2006, The Statesman, 6 July – Attachment 28).

An earlier article dated 8 July 2005 refers to “courts, known as Jaati Panchayats (or caste- based village councils),” handing out punishments in summary trials in northern India, despite India “boasting a modern, independent and pro-active judiciary and law-enforcement system.” The courts “reinforce the age-old caste system and handle disputes involving members of a particular caste or community.” The article indicates that data compiled by the All India Democratic Women’s Association (AIDWA) had shown “that both honour killings and crimes “ordered” by caste panchayats are rising steadily in major north Indian states like , Rajasthan, Punjab and Haryana.” The article also indicates that:

India has a constitutionally-mandated system of local governance called the Panchayat system, in which a third of the seats are reserved for women. In many states, the system is working fine with a sizable participation of women. Many of the elected panchayats are all- women and have done commendable work. But in a society with a deeply entrenched caste system, these elected panchayats have not been able to reduce or counter the influence of caste panchayats on people, particularly in areas with low education and social status.

The country has no specific law that bans illegal or parallel justice systems such as caste panchayats. In addition, caste-based formations, including caste panchayats, get tacit support from politicians of different parties and even local police and administration (Sharma, Dinesh C. 2005, ‘Caste courts deliver medieval justice’, Bangkok Post, 8 July – Attachment 29).

List of Sources Consulted

Internet Sources: Government Information & Reports Government of India, Ministry of Panchayati Raj website http://panchayat.nic.in/ Government of India, Right to Information website http://www.rti.gov.in/ Government of India, National Commission for Backward Classes (NCBC) website http://ncbc.nic.in/ Census of India website http://www.censusindia.net/ Government of Haryana website http://haryana.gov.in/ State Election Commission, Haryana website http://secharyana.nic.in/index.htm Immigration & Refugee Board of Canada http://www.irb-cisr.gc.ca/ UK Home Office http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/ US Department of State http://www.state.gov/ United Nations (UN) UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) website http://www.unhcr.org/cgi-bin/texis/vtx/rsd Non-Government Organisations Human Rights Watch http://www.hrw.org/ Amnesty International http://www.amnesty.org The Hunger Project website http://www.thp.org/ International News & Politics BBC News http://news.bbc.co.uk Region Specific Links The Times of India website http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/ The Hindu website http://www.hinduonnet.com/ The Tribune (Chandigarh) website http://www.tribuneindia.com/ The Indian Express website http://www.indianexpress.com/ Hindustan Times website http://www.hindustantimes.com/Homepage/Homepage.aspx Search Engines Copernic http://www.copernic.com/ Google http://www.google.com.au/

Databases: FACTIVA (news database) BACIS (DIAC Country Information database) REFINFO (IRBDC (Canada) Country Information database) ISYS (RRT Country Research database, including Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, US Department of State Reports) RRT Library Catalogue

List of Attachments

1. Rajalakshmi, T.K. 2005, ‘Power of literacy’, Frontline, Volume 22, Issue 19, 10-23 September http://www.hinduonnet.com/fline/fl2219/stories/20050923002404600.htm - Accessed 8 August 2007.

2. ‘Implementation of report sought’ 1999, The Tribune (Chandigarh), 22 October http://www.tribuneindia.com/1999/99oct22/haryana.htm#5 – Accessed 8 August 2007.

3. ‘Central List of Other Backward Classes - Haryana’ (Undated), Government of India, National Commission for Backward Classes (NCBC) website http://ncbc.nic.in/backward- classes/haryana.htm - Accessed 8 August 2007.

4. ‘List of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes – Haryana’ (Undated), Census of India website http://www.censusindia.net/results/harscst.PDF - Accessed 8 August 2007. 5. Narrain, Siddharth 2006, ‘Justice for Dalits still a dream’, The Hindu, 11 May http://www.hinduonnet.com/2006/05/11/stories/2006051105731100.htm – Accessed 28 March 2007.

6. Bhagwati, Justice P.N. 2007, ‘Panchayati Raj System in India’, The Island, 23 April. (CISNET India CX176051)

7. Republic of India 1993, ‘The Constitution (Seventy-third Amendment) Act, 1992’, Government of India, Ministry of Panchayati Raj website, 20 April http://panchayat.nic.in/amend73.htm - Accessed 21 August 2007.

8. Republic of India 1993, ‘The Constitution (Seventy-fourth Amendment) Act, 1992’, State Election Commission, Haryana website http://secharyana.nic.in/html/74.htm - Accessed 22 August 2007.

9. Republic of India 1996, ‘The provisions of the Panchayats (Extension to the Scheduled Areas) Act, 1996’, No. 40 of 1996, Government of India, Ministry of Panchayati Raj website, 24 December http://panchayat.nic.in/pesa.htm - Accessed 21 August 2007.

10. RRT Research & Information 2007, The Republic & States of India at a Glance, July.

11. UK Home Office 2007, Country of Origin Information Report: India, 11 May.

12. Arora, Vishal 2006, ‘For Christians in Rural India, Dangers Hard to Avoid’, Compass Direct News, December.

13. UK Home Office 2004, Report of the fact finding mission to India 11-24 July 2004 – Women in India.

14. ‘Panchayati Raj: Local Democracy in Action’ (Undated), The Hunger Project website http://www.thp.org/sai00/india/panchayat.htm - Accessed 20 August 2007.

15. RRT Research & Information 2003, Research Response IND16226, 16 October.

16. ‘Devolution to Panchayats in Haryana: The way forward: Statement of conclusions arrived at after the visit of the Union Minister for Panchayati Raj and Petroleum & Natural Gas to Haryana on 17th August 2005 and 22nd August 2005’ 2005, Government of India, Ministry of Panchayati Raj website, 22 August http://panchayat.nic.in – Accessed 21 August 2007.

17. ‘Extract from Haryana Panchayati Raj Act, 1994’ 1994, State Election Commission, Haryana website, 22 April http://secharyana.nic.in/html/act4.htm - Accessed 22 August 2007.

18. Government of Haryana 1994, ‘Haryana Panchayati Raj Election Rules, 1994’, State Election Commission, Haryana website, 24 August http://secharyana.nic.in/html/act7.htm - Accessed 22 August 2007.

19. ‘Admin Reports of NPP, Ministry of Panchayati Raj, Government of India – Details of Haryana till Zilla Panchayat Tier’ (Undated), Government of India, Ministry of Panchayati Raj website http://panchayat.gov.in/adminreps/viewpansumR.asp?selstate=12&ptype=D&button1=Submi t – Accessed 24 August 2007.

20. ‘Message From Commissioners Desk’ (Undated), State Election Commission, Haryana website http://secharyana.nic.in/html/message.htm - Accessed 21 August 2007.

21. RRT Research & Information 2007, Research Response IND31942, 12 July.

22. Singh, Inderjit 2005, ‘State Of Panchayati Raj In Haryana’, People’s Democracy (Weekly Organ of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), Vol. XXIX, No. 20, 15 May http://pd.cpim.org/2005/0515/05152005_haryana.htm - Accessed 12 July 2007.

23. ‘Haryana withdraws child poll ban’ 2006, BBC News, 21 July http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/5204298.stm - Accessed 21 August 2007.

24. Government of Haryana 2006, ‘Manual – Publication of Documents under Section 4(1)b of the Right to Information Act, 2005 of Panchayat Department, Haryana Chandigarh’, Government of India, Right to Information website http://cicharyana.gov.in/writereaddata/Panchayats/Proactive%20Disclosure/PAN17.pdf - Accessed 21 August 2007.

25. ‘Agri Haryana villages go hitech’ 2007, Financial Express, 15 January. (FACTIVA)

26. ‘Haryana villagers not ashamed of honour killings’ 2007, Indo-Asian News Service, 4 July. (FACTIVA)

27. Rajalakshmi, T.K. 2007, ‘Village terror’, Frontline, Volume 24, Issue 6, 24 March – 6 April http://www.flonnet.com/fl2406/stories/20070406002403900.htm – Accessed 18 May 2007.

28. ‘Rural caste fora illegal: Haryana’ 2006, The Statesman, 6 July. (FACTIVA)

29. Sharma, Dinesh C. 2005, ‘Caste courts deliver medieval justice’, Bangkok Post, 8 July. (FACTIVA)