Public Administration in Ancient India c23.23

c23.23

The Sukranīti mentions, besides the headman, five other officers of a village, namely, the superintendent of police (sāhasādhipati), the collector of the land-revenue, the clerk, the collector of tolls, and the watchman (prātihāra). The village officials were held responsible for the internal security of the villagers. If, for instance, a theft occurred in the village, and the officers failed to catch the thief, they had to compensate the owner for the property stolen.¹