A social panchayat in Arya Nagar village of Hisar district has passed a resolution against love marriages. The panchayat has announced that any couple marrying in violation of prevailing social norms will face social boycott and will not be allowed to reside in the village.
The decision was taken at a panchayat meeting held in the village on Sunday. Members of the panchayat described such marriages as a growing social evil. The meeting was attended by panchayat representatives, the sarpanch and several prominent villagers.
What the Hisar Panchayat Resolution Says
As per the resolution adopted at the panchayat, if a young man and woman from the village marry each other, the couple would face social boycott and would not be allowed to reside in the village.
The panchayat also decided that family members or others supporting such couples would face action under the resolution. This means the penalty is not limited to the couple alone — anyone seen backing them could also be cut off socially.
- Couples marrying against social norms will face social boycott
- Such couples will not be allowed to reside in the village
- Family members and supporters of such couples will also face action
- The resolution was passed at a panchayat meeting attended by the sarpanch and prominent villagers
Why the Panchayat Took This Step
Panchayat members described love marriages as a growing social evil. Their concern, as stated in the meeting, is that such marriages go against the social norms the village follows.
It is important to note that a village panchayat resolution like this has no legal standing on its own. Marriage is a personal choice protected under law, and no community body can legally bar two consenting adults from marrying or from living in a village. What the panchayat has announced is a social penalty — boycott — not a legal one.
Our Take: Social Boycott Is Not Justice
In our view, this resolution crosses a line. A panchayat can advise, counsel and mediate. It cannot decide who two adults are allowed to love or where they are allowed to live.
To put it plainly, announcing a social boycott of a couple and their family is a form of collective punishment. It targets people for a personal decision that harms no one. Calling love marriage a "social evil" is a phrase that belongs to a different era, not to a modern democracy.
What readers should understand is this: such resolutions may look like village-level decisions, but their impact is serious. They can push young couples into fear, force families to cut ties with their own children, and create an atmosphere where violence becomes possible. Even if the resolution is not enforceable in a court, its social weight in a village is real.
The bigger question is why such decisions keep coming from panchayats. When community bodies take on the role of moral police, they weaken both individual freedom and the rule of law. Consent, not community approval, is what makes a marriage valid.
Our position is clear: a couple's right to choose their partner must be protected, and any attempt to punish them through boycott should be challenged — socially and legally.