In a startling case from Palasdih village, Sitarampur area, Jharkhand, three Panchayats together passed a controversial verdict involving a married woman, her husband, and her lover.

A youth from Chandil’s Chilgu Panchayat and a friend had come to meet the married woman late Monday night. When villagers caught them trying to take her away in a car, they tied up the boyfriend and his friend, and held a Panchayat involving the woman’s in-laws, her parents, and the lover’s village elders.

In a shocking decision, the Panchayat ordered the woman to be sent with her lover in the presence of her husband. The husband was forced to witness the woman leaving with her boyfriend. Meanwhile, a fine of one lakh rupees was imposed on the lover.

The villagers strongly opposed police intervention, calling it a “social issue.” Even when police officers from the local RIT police station and SDPO Sameer Kumar Sawaiya arrived to resolve the matter, they were forced to retreat due to protests.

The woman was also divorced by the Panchayat during this prolonged meeting that lasted from morning until evening.

This extraordinary case has raised eyebrows and sparked debates about the power and influence of traditional Panchayats over personal lives, as well as the limits of law enforcement in such social disputes.