Husbands Take Oath In Place Of Elected Wives In This Gram Panchayat

After the three-tier panchayat election in Gaisabad Panchayat of Damoh district, a woman sarpanch of the scheduled class was elected and some other women panches also emerged victorious. However, the swearing-in ceremony became a subject of controversy after there were allegations that instead of the women, their husbands had presented themselves at the time of the oath-taking. The elected sarpanch and other women were to be administered the oath of office and secrecy, for which a programme was organised in the village Panchayat. However, there were allegations that the concerned official allowed the husbands to be present in place of the elected women representatives, who according to some claims, were altogether missing from the event. After the allegations gained strength, the district administration decided to ascertain the truth and take suitable action, the report added.