A Glimpse of the Criminal Justice System in Hindu Villages of South India
Several epigraphic records give us an awesome picture of the extraordinary Hindu justice system that prevailed in South Indian villages from time immemorial.
Successive monarchs throughout Hindu history recognized and respected village autonomy and rarely extended their imperial hand upon it. Quite the contrary. They actually made it a point to honour the village, its headman and its councils. The Gupta, Pallava, Chola, Chalukya, Rashtrakuta, Hoysala, and Vijayangara monarchs made liberal gifts to villages a…