ABSTRACT
Kanniyakumari, the southernmost District of the Indian peninsula, is formed with the State Reorganization Commission in November 1, 1956 with Kalkulam, Vilavancode, Thovalai and Agasteeswaram as its four Taluks. At the bottom level of the administration lies the Village Panchayats. “Panch” means five and ‘Ayat” means assembly. Therefore “Panchayat” means assembly of five wise and respected elders chosen and accepted by the local community. Traditionally, these assemblies settled the disputes between individuals. In due course these assemblies became the governing body of the villages. There were officials for revenue administration, general administration, welfare administration and judicial administration. These are confirmed with the archaeological findings along with written evidences. Uthremerur inscription is the best example for this. It speaks about the local administration during the imperial Cholas. This was continued with some changes all through the ages. When the British East India Company took the administration, it concentrated only on revenue collection, not on welfare measures. However, in 1881 and 1882 Lord Rippon, the then Viceroy of India, passed two Resolutions on Local Self Government. These Resolutions paved the revival of local administration in India. These Resolutions and its aftermath in the British administration made its repercussions in the native States also. Being a native State, the Travancre-Cochin State also introduced such kind of regulations. The earliest legislation in this regard was the Regulation – II of 1894. Later, the Travancore Village Panchayat Act of 1925 was passed by Maharani Sethu Lakshmi Bai on 13 August 1925. As per this Act, the first Village Panchayat of South Travancore, Bhoothappandi Panchayat, was constituted in 1933. Travancore Village Unions Act of 1939, passed on 14 November 1939, paved the way for the establishment of Village Unions in Travancore. However, the Tamil Nadu Panchayats Act of 1958 increased the number from four to nine in Kanniyakumari District.
Introduction
“Panch” means five and ‘Ayat’ means assembly. Therefore ‘Panchayat’ means assembly of five wise and respected elders chosen and accepted by the local community. Traditionally these assemblies settled the disputes between individuals. In due course, they have emerged as a body to settle the disputes between the villages. As the villages grew in size and became the local unit of administration, the Panchayats became the governing body of the villages. They played a vital role in the integration and development of village life.
In South India, especially in Tamil Nadu, in Panchayats had their roots in the past and as evident from the historical records, inscriptions and monuments, they played a vital role in the integration and development of village life. The present Kanniyakumari District had been under the control of the Ays, the Cheras, the Pandyas, the Cholas, the Nayaks and the Venand rulers. The monarchy was replaced in the District by democracy, after Independence.
There are inscriptional evidences to prove that there were village Sabhas during Ays rule in the District. The functions of the sabhas were mostly restricted to temple administration. There are also references in Palliam Copper Plates and the Parthivapuram Plates, about a sabha at Munchirai which exercised judicial powers under the supervision of the Crown. Huzur Office Plates refer to the purchase of certain lands from the Sabha of Munchirai by an Ay King, Karunandadakkan, to build a temple for Lord Vishnu, at Parthivapuram.
The Sangam Literature mentions about Manram and Podhiyil and according to K.A. Nilakanda Sastri they refer to the Village Assemblies existed then.1 The ‘Maha Sabhas’ were the Village Assemblies existed in the Brahmadeya villages. In the middle of the 10th Century, Suchindram which was a Brahmadeya village had a Maha Sabha. K.K. Pillay, the author of ‘The Sucindram Temple’ says that this Mahasabha wielded enormous administrative powers.2 The essential duty of the Sabha was to administer justice. It is worth noting that almost every inscription in South India which mentions a Village Assembly also makes references to a Madyastha of the village. Madyastha the administration of justice formed one of the principal duties of the Assmebly.3
LOCAL SELF GOVERNMENT UNDER THE CHOLAS
In the history of the Local Self Government of Tamil Nadu, the Chola rule was the golden era. The most striking feature of the Chola period from 850 AD to 1173 AD was the functioning of the autonomous rural institutions with vigour and efficiency.4 A highly developed committee system (Variyams) for the administration of local affairs was evolved and the Sabha of Uttiramerur, which revised its constitutional arrangements twice at short intervals in the reign of Parantaka I, is the typical example of a number of similar attempts going on everywhere to evolve improved methods of administration.5
Raja Raja the Great brought Nanjilnadu, the area which is called Kanniyakumari District at present, under the Chola rule and it continued under the Cholas until the rule of Kulotunga I. Hence, the distinctive feature of the Chola Administration, the autonomous villages, prevailed there also. The method of election for the local self governing bodies under the Cholas was known as ‘Kudavolai Murai’ or pot ticket system.6 According to this system, the names of the contesting candidates were written on palmyra leaves, put in a pot, shuffled and a child would be asked to take out as many leaves as the total number of candidates needed to be elected. The candidates whose names were written on the leaves taken out by the child, would be declared elected.7
The members thus elected would constitute themselves into various ‘variams’ or committees such as Eri Variam or Lake Committee. Thottavariam or Garden-Committee, Pon Variam or Golden Committee and the members would discharge their respective function. The duration of the membership was one year. A big banyan tree in the village or the village Mandaba served as the office.8 The account books of the Panchayats were maintained by an Officer designated as ‘Karanathan’. This post was filled with meticulous care. The persons chosen for this job were of sterling character.9 They presented the accounts in the Panchayat meetings. If the members doubted the genuineness of the account, the ‘Karanathan’ had to read out the account holding a hot iron bar and it was the belief that there would be blisters in his hands, if he muddled with the accounts. Thus, the Panchyats in ancient days proved efficient units of village administration, attending to all the civic amenities of the villages and also administered justice impartially.10 After the Chola’s rule, the later Pandyas, the Nayaks, the Venada Kings and finally the Travancore rulers, ruled this part of Tamil Nadu. During this period also, the local-self governing institutions were encouraged and allowed to exist, though there were slight changes in the mode of election, duration of office, designation of the officers.
During the 12th and 13th Centuries the local assemblies and temple sabhas were functioned as village assemblies and they managed the day-to-day affairs of every village. There are ample inscriptional evidences for this.11 The Manalikkara inscription of 1235 A.D., also prove this. These assemblies were not mere occasional assemblies, but they were permanent and well constituted public bodies.12 Keralotpatti, a Malayalam literature mentions about three types of Assemblies (i.e) Tarakuttam, Nattukuttam and Perumkuttam, flourished in Kerala from time to time for many centuries till recent past. Among these, Tarakuttam was a village assembly, Nattukuttam was an Assembly containing representatives of villages while Perumkuttam was the National Assembly represented by the whole country.13
There are ample evidences that in 1703 A.D Nanjilnadu, then a portion of Travancore State and now forming part of Kanniyakumari District, had such Assemblies and the ‘Nattar’s, the members of the Assemblies assembled on various occasions at Vadaseri, Asramam (near Nagercoil) and Esanthimangalam and passed resolutions against some of the oppressive Government legislations.14 Every village in South Travancore was almost self-governing and each village had its own head-man, pramanis, the hereditary village servants, Panchayats, Kuttams, Police (Kaval) and Watchmen (Kavalar). Just like the Local Self Government which functioned in Chola administration, where the Ur and Mahasabha looked after all the matters of the village, in South Travancore too village administration went on well. The functions, rights and privileges of each of these were well defined.15 The village Unions and Panchayats had an important role in the realization on “Grama-Swaraj”.16 The Panchayats played a vital role in the integration and development of village life. They settled their local problems and local needs by themselves.17
Though this was the condition in South Travancore or Nanjilnadu, the condition in the Madras Presidency was so different. When the Madras Presidency was formed as a result of the take over of the administration of the British East India Company, the local self governing institutions were not given due attention. However, in course of time, the British administration began to realize the importance of the Local Self Government. Consequently legislations in this regard were passed.
RIPON’S RESOLUTIONS ON LOCAL SELF GOVERNMENT
Lord Ripon, the Viceroy of India (1880-1884) who is rightly called the father of Local Self Government in India, passed two Resolutions on Local Government, one in 1881 and the other in 1882.18 His Resolutions on Local Self Government are great landmarks in the growth of the Local Self Government in the country.
The Resolution in 1881 stated that it had come to initiate measures to develop the idea of local self government. Accordingly, the provincial Governments were directed by the Governor General of India to transfer considerable revenues to the local bodies. The latter were also to be in charge of those matters, which were chiefly concerned with the localities.
The Provincial Governments conducted the inquiry, as per the directions of the Viceroy and submitted Reports. The Reports were analysed and the offshoot was the passing of the famous Resolution of 1882 by Lord Ripon. In this Resolution of 1882, Lord Ripon evinced real interest and took special pains to make expansion of system of Local Self Government. The Local Governments were directed by the Resolution to maintain and extend a net work of Local Boards in every District. The area of jurisdiction of every Local Board was so small that both local knowledge and local interest on the part of members of the Board could be secured. The number of non-official members were large and the official element was not to exceed one third of the whole. Thus, importance was attached to non-official members so that their involvement should be there in administering Local boards. Wherever practicable, the Local Government Bodies were to introduce the system of election for the members of the Local Boards.19
This Resolution and its aftermath in the British administration had its echoes in the Native States also. In Travancore Government, the earliest legislation in this regard was the Regulation II of 1894 which had provisions to constitute Town Improvement Committees. The Committees thus set up were vested with certain powers to improve the conservancy and sanitation of the respective towns.20 A Municipality may be defined as a legally incorporated or duly authorized association of the inhabitants of a particularly designated place or limited territorial area established for prescribed local Governemnt and public utility or other public purposes.21 The main functions of the Municipal administration were sanitation and public health. The other obligatory functions were lighting of public streets, vaccination and registration of births and deaths. The other activities were conducting markets, leper clinics, maternity and child welfare centres, maintaining parks, running of libraries and reading rooms and subsidizing vaidyasalas.22
VILLAGE COUNCILS
Keen interest was also evinced by the then Travancore Government to involve the rural people in Local Self Government. The first piece of Legislation in regard to this, was enacted in the year 1925, by passing Travancore Village Panchayat Act. Before 1925, Village Councils had been functioning in the villages and they had also looked after all the problems of the villagers and settled disputes. The Village Council was generally held in the temples, but the Nairs owned some of them. The Council was held at the beginning of every month for the administrative affairs connected with caste. The village elders attended all the important socio-religious ceremony of the village.23
THE TRAVANCORE VILLAGE PANCHAYAT ACT OF 1925
On 13 August 1925, the Travancore Village Panchayat Act was passed for fostering and developing Self Government in the rural areas of the State. Maharani Regent Sethu Lekshmi Bai took steps to implement the Village Panchayat Act.24
For the improvement of rural conditions, the Panchayats undertook many activities, within the limits of the fund at their disposal. Their activities were mainly concentrated on the cleaning of streets, the construction, maintenance and improvement of wells, tanks for the supply of drinking water to the public, the opening of burial and burning grounds and the maintenance of grounds, the control and management of cattle pounds and sanitation.25 According to the provisions of the Act, the Government had powers to declare any village or a cluster of villages as a Village Panchayat, consisting of not less than five and not more than eleven members. The obligatory and discretionary powers of the Panchayats were quite identical to those of the Municipalities.26
The Act laid particular stress on the principle that all the matching grants extended by the Government to a Village Panchayat, together with local taxes levied and collected from the people were to be spent by the Village Panchyat itself for the benefit of the village.27 Every village had a village fund vested in the Panchayat and the fund was utilized to meet the welfare schemes and other expenditure.28
As per the Village Panchayat Act of 1925, six Panchayats were constituted in 1932 and one more in 1937.29 In the beginning only six Panchayats were established in Travancore. Among the six, Bhoothapandi Panchayat of Thovala Taluk was the first Panchayat founded in South Travancore. From 20 February 1933 the Panchayat began to function.30 The Panchayat was named as the Village Panchayat of Bhoothapandi.31
The local Tahsildar was the Chairman of the Panchayat. The Chairman of the Panchayat was an ex-officio Government Officer. In accordance with the rules dated the 8 August 1930 passed under the Village Panchayat Act of 1925, the Government nominated nine members, among them six elected non-official members and three official members.32
THE TRAVANCORE VILLAGE UNIONS ACT OF 1939
In order to encourage rural development and to afford better opportunities to the people for making village organizations more useful and beneficial, the Travancore Village Unions Act was passed in 14 November 1939.47 Accordingly, thirty nine Village Unions were constituted in the years 1940 and 1941 throughout Travancore.48 Each of the Unions composed of six non-officials and five-officials, subject to certain rules prescribed by Government on this behalf.49
On the basis of the Travancore Village Unions Act of 1939, the Government issued a notification on 24 February 1940, to establish Village Unions in the following villages of South Travancore. In 1940, Thazhakudy Village Union of Thovalai Taluk, Suchindram Village Union of Agasthiswaram Taluk, Eraniel Village Union of Kalkulam Taluk and Arumana Village Union of Vilavancode Taluk were formed.50
The notification dated 23 June 1940 provided for the establishment of Kadiapattanam Union in Kalkulam Taluk and Arudesam Union in Vilavancode Taluk of Munchira ‘pakuthy’.51 In 1948, the Government established Arumanai, Kanjiracode, Pallichal and Karakonam Village Unions.52 The Government issued a notification on 2 February 1942 which accorded sanction to the Thazhakkudy Village Union of Thovalai Taluk to levy house-tax at the rate of four per cent of the annual rental value of the houses situated within the limits of the Union.53 Under Section 9 of the Village Unions Act of 1939 and the notification dated 19 October 1944, the Government authorized the members of the Suchindram Village Union to elect their own Vice-President.54
Followed by another notification dated 31 October 1945, the Village Unions of Suchindram, Eraniel and Arumanai were authorized to elect Presidents from among themselves for their Village Unions.55 In the year 1945, Government made certain changes for the improvement and effective working of the Unions. Government found that the Division Peishkars who were the Registrars of Village Panchayats and Unions in the midst of their many-sided and onerous duties, could not devote adequate attention to the improvement of the Panchayats and Unions. The Tahsildars who were the Presidents of the Village Unions and most of the Panchayats were also similarly handicapped.56
The administration of these local bodies was therefore taken away from the Revenue Department and entrusted with the Public Health Department.57 The Director of Public Health was appointed the ex-officio Registrar of Village Unions and Panchayats throughout the State.58 The Travancore Village Unions (Amendment) Act dated 4 April 1944, fixed the term of office of the members of a Village Union as three years.59 The Tahsildars were relieved of the Preseidentship of the local bodies which enabled the bodies to have non-official Presidents elected or nominated members of the Government. Fifty per cent of the membership of the Unions was thrown open to election.60
The Travancore Village Panchayat (Amendment) Act of 1945 was passed on 22 December 1945 and by that a tax on land was introduced.61 In 1946, except in the case of two Village Unions and one Village Panchayat, all the rest had non-official Presidents most of whom were elected by the members themselves and only seven non-official Presidents being nominated by Government.62 The term of office for a member was fixed as three years.63
THE TRAVANCORE – COCHIN PANCHAYAT ACT, 1950
Meanwhile, India got independence in 1947, and the two Princely States of Kerala i.e, Travancore State and Cochin State merged together and formed the Travancore-Cochin State. The Government of newly formed Travancore – Cochin State took steps to bring some drastic changes in the administration of Village Panchayats. In 1950, an Act was passed to provide the Panchayats with wide powers to function as autonomous village administrative units after serious discussions.64
The first major legislation after independence with regard to the Panchayat was the Travancore – Cochin Panchayat Act of 1950.66 Rules for opening, management and control of public and private markets, rules for the preparation of Panchayat Budgets, Panchayat Cart Stand Rules, number of members in respective Panchayats, list of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes were explained in the Act.67
Powers of taxation and providing for elections under adult franchise were also given to the Panchayats.68 In the Act of 1950, notification regarding termination of office of the existing members of Panchayats, term of office of the members, appointment of the Panchayat Inspectors to publish the electoral rolls and to function as election officers and list of symbols which were to be used at elections towards in Panchayats were explained.69
PANCHAYAT ELECTION
After independence, the first Panchayat election was held in South Travancore on 15 August 1953.85 With the aim of conducting Panchayat elections during 1952 itself, a sum of three lakhs rupees was provided in the budget of 1951 for the printing and supply of Panchayat electoral rolls.86 Any citizen who had completed 25 years of age was eligible to contest in the election. His name should be found in the voters list of that village. Rules and regulations were framed and all arrangements were made to conduct the election peacefully.87
According to the Panchayat Act of 1950, the number of Panchayats to be established in each taluk was thirty two in Vilavancode Taluk, thirty three in Kalkulam Taluk, thirty four in Thovalai Taluk and thirty five in Agasthiswaram Taluk of South Travancore.92 Eventhough such estimates were prepared, that number of Panchayats were not founded. William, the then Member of the Legislative Assembly, has mentioned in the Assembly in 1955 that instead of the sanctioned thirty two, only eighteen Panchayats were functioning in Vilavancode Taluk.93
Each taluk had one Section Officer and one Overseer to supervise the activities of the Panchayats. William had represented to the Government that these two Officers were not sufficient to inspect or check the activities of all the Panchayats in the taluks. He had requested to appoint more Section Officers to prepare estimates or to bring four to five Panchayats under one Section Officer and to supervise the administrative affairs of the Panchayats.94
AFTER MERGER
Even after the carving of the Kanniyakumari District out of the territories transferred to the then Madras State from the erstwhile Travancore-Cochin State in 1956, the administrative set up of the Local Bodies then in existence, were allowed to continue until 31st March 1962. The Tamil Nadu Panchayats Act 1958 was extended to the Kanniyakumari District with effect from 1 April 1962.95
Therefore Nine Panchayat Unions (i.e.,) Rajakkamangalam, Agathiswaram, Munchirai, Melpuram, Killiyoor, Thalakulam (later became Kurunthancode), Thuckalai, Thovalai and Thiruvattar were inaugurated in the District, on 1 April 1962.96 The Three Tier Panchayat System was revived in 1992, after so many Commissions, by the 73rd Constitutional Amendment Act. This Act strengthened the Panchayat Raj System. As per this Act, nine Panchayat Unions were formed. They are Thauckalay Panchayat Union, Kurunthancode Panchayat Union, Melpuram Panchayat Union, Munchirai Panchayat Union, Thiruvattar Panchayat Union, Thovalai Panchayat Union, Rajakkamangalam Panchayat Union, Killiyoor Panchayat Union and Agastheeswaram Panchayat Union.
Because of these Panchayat Unions, the local administration of Kanniyakumari District is being maintained well. Therefore, the district is developing in all spheres of life. Socially and religiously it is having peace and harmony among its people. Economically also the district is developing day by day.
Dr. Regi, S, Assistant Professor and Head, Department of History, Holy Cross College (Autonomous), Nagercoil – 629 004
References
1 K.A. Nilakanta Sastri, Studies in Chola History and Administration, Kalashetra Publications, Madras, 1932, pp. 74-84.
2 K.K. Pillay, The Sucindram Temple, Madras, 1953, pp. 134, 144 and 242.
3 Gopalakrishnan, M. (Ed.), Gazetteers of India, TamilNadu State, Kanniyakumari District, Madras, 1995, p. 729.
4 K.A. Nilakanta Sastri, A History of South India,Madras, 1955 (IV Edn. 1976), p. 205.
5 Ibid.
6 K..A Nilakanta Sastri, The Colas, Madras Univeristy of Madras, (Second Edn. 1955), p. 517 Notes 50.
7 Ibid.
8 Manoranjithamoni, History of Tamil Nadu upto 1656 A.D., Dave-Beryl Publications, Tirunelveli, 2012, pp. 392-395.
9 Ibid., p. 395.
10 Ibid., pp. 394-400.
11 K.K. Pillay, The Suncindram Temple, Op.cit., p. 35.
12 P. Sundaram Pillay, Some Early Sovereigns of Travancore, Madras, 1894, p. 54.
13 K.A. Nilakanta Sastri, Studies in Chola History and Administration, Op.cit., p. 34.
14 Gopalakrishnan, M. (Ed.), Op.cit., p. 731.
15 Raja, P.K.S., Medieval Kerala, Annamalai Nagar, 1953, p. 277.
16 Travancore-Cochin News, Vol. I, 15 March 1+51, p. 26.
17 Proceedings of the Travancore Cochin Legislative Assembly, 5 November 1952, p. 736.
18 Vidhya Dhar Mahajan, British Rule in India, S.C. Chand and Co., New Delhi, 1976, p. 480.
19 Gopalakrishnan, M. (Ed.), Op.cit., p. 732.
20 Ibid., p. 733.
21 Daulat Ram Prem, Prem’s Law of Municipal Elections, Election Petitions, Removal of Members of Presidents, New Delhi, 1956, p.1.
22 Administration Report of Travancore-Cochin 1953-1954, Trivandrum, 1955, p. 180.
23 Raja, P.K.S., Op.cit., p. 277.
24 Ibid.
25 Ibid., p.5.
26 Sreedhara Menon, A., Trivandrum District Gazetteer, Trivandrum, 19651, p. 626.
27 Gopalakrishnan, M. Op.cit., p. 734.
28 The Village Unions and Panchayat Manual, Part I and Part II, Trivandrum, 1946, p. 18.
29 Travancore Administration Report, 1945-1946, Trivandrum, 1947, p. 162 and The Travancore Directory 1941, Trivandrum 1940, p. 401.
30 Travancore Administration Report 1945-1946, Trivandrum, 1947, p. 162.
31 The Village Unions and Panchayat Manual, Op.cit., p. 38.
32 Travancore Administration Report 1945-1946, Trivandrum, 1947, p. 401.
47 The Village Unions and Panchayat Manual, Op.cit., p. 51.
48 Travancore Administration Report 1945-1946, Trivandrum, 1947, p. 162.
49 Travancore Administration Report 1941-1942, Trivandrum, 1943, p. 161 and The Acts and Proclamations of Travancore, Vol. XII, Trivandrum, 1943, p. 938.
50 The Village Unions and Panchayat Manual, Op.cit., p. 86.
51 The Acts and Proclamations of Travancore, Vol. XII, p. 939 and The Village Unions and Panchayat Manual, Op.cit., p. 87.
52 The Travancore Legislative Assembly Proceedings, First Assembly, 1948, p. 28.
53 The Village Unions and Panchayat Manual, Op.cit., p. 89.
54 Ibid., p. 90.
55 Ibid., p.92
56 Travancore Administration Report 1939-1940, Trivandrum, 1941, p. 184.
57 Travancore Administration Report 1945-1946, Trivandrum, 1947, p. 163.
58 Gopalakrishnan, M., Op.cit., p. 734.
59 The Acts and Proclamations of Travancore, Part II, 1946, p. 141
60 Travancore Administration Report 1945-1946, Trivandrum, 1947, p. 163.
61 Supplement to the Travancore Government Gazette No. 17, dated 11 December 1945/Vrischigam 1121, 9.32.
62 Travancore Administration Report 1945-1946, Trivandrum, 1947, p. 163.
63 Gopalakrishnan, M., Op.cit., p. 735.
64 Travancore – Cochin Administration Report 1125 M.E., 17 August 1949 to 31 March 1950, Trivandrum, 1951, p.86.
66 Gopalakrishnan, M., Op.cit., p. 735.
67 Travancore – Cochin Rules Code, Vol. I, Published by the Law Department, Trivandrum, 1956, p. 213.
68 Siva Raman Nair, U., Census of India, 1951, Travancore-Cochin, District Census Hand Book, Trivandrum, 1952, p. XIV.
69 Travancore – Cochin Rules Code, p. 213.
85 Travancore – Cochin News, Vol. III, 1 March 1953, p. 68.
86 Gopalakrishnan, M., Op.cit., p. 735.
87 Travancore – Cochin News, Vol. III, 1 March 1953, p. 68.
92 Travancore – Cochin Administration Report 1953-1954, Trivandrum, 1955, p. 185 and Travancore – Cochin News, 15 August 1951, p.25.
93 Proceedings of the Travancore – Cochin Legislative Assembly, 6 April 1955, p. 1366.
94 Ibid.
95 G.O. Ms. No. 741, R.D. & L.A., dated 27 March 1962.
96 G.O. Ms. No. 685, R.D. & L.A., dated 21 March 1962.