NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court recently hauled up the Chhattisgarh authorities for removing a 27-year-old female sarpanch on “flimsy grounds” citing delays in completion of her work. It emphasised that the state government should set an example to promote women empowerment in rural areas.Dubbing the action and behaviour of Chhattisgarh authorities a “colonial mindset”, a two-judge bench of Justices Surya Kant and Ujjal Bhuyan directed that Sonam Lakra, the female sarpanch, be reinstated, besides directing the government to pay her Rs 1 lakh for frivolous litigation and harassment.“The authorities, with their colonial mindset, have regrettably failed to recognise the fundamental distinction between an elected public representative and a selected public servant. Invariably, elected representatives like the appellant are often treated as subordinates to bureaucrats compelled to comply with directives that serve to encroach upon their autonomy and impinge their accountability,” the bench said.
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