State and Government in Ancient India c19.s1.24

c19.s1.24

The *mehjars* or the Panchāyat judgments in Mahārāṣṭra are seen to be signed by about thirty to forty Panchas belonging to different castes and professions, including the village grain-sharing functionaries. It is, however, likely that only a small number of Panchas, who were senior and well acquainted with the customary law, participated in the actual trial. In Vijayanagar administration, there was a different set of Panchas for each case. If the case required a knowledge of law, Brāhmaṇas predominated; if land tenures were involved, the Mahajanas were coopted. Caste disputes were settled by the heads of the different castes. The cases were usually tried in the local temple, whose atmosphere inspired awe and stifled any tendency to tell a lie.