The decision was taken by the Sundhamata Patti panchayat of the Chaudhary clan during a gathering held in Ghazipur village on December 21. According to the resolution, married women and daughters-in-law from villages in the Bhinmal–Khanpur belt will no longer be permitted to carry camera-enabled mobile phones to weddings, public functions, or even during routine visits to neighbours. The order applies specifically to smartphones, while allowing the use of simple keypad phones for essential communication.
Members of the panchayat justified the move by pointing to what they described as growing “mobile addiction” among women, claiming prolonged screen exposure was affecting eyesight and disrupting household and social responsibilities. Community elders reportedly argued that unrestricted smartphone use was altering traditional lifestyles and interpersonal interactions within families.
The announcement comes at a time when smartphone penetration has rapidly expanded across rural India, transforming access to information, services and communication. The panchayat’s diktat, however, reflects a parallel push by certain traditional bodies to regulate technology use through social norms rather than legal mechanisms.
There has been no official notification from the district administration or police endorsing the decision, and the order does not carry statutory legal force. However, such caste panchayat resolutions often rely on social pressure for enforcement, raising questions about individual rights and the limits of community authority. As of now, local authorities have not publicly commented on whether they will intervene or monitor the situation.
The proposed ban, scheduled to begin on Republic Day, underscores the ongoing tension between rapidly evolving digital connectivity and deeply rooted social customs in parts of rural India. As the date approaches, the decision is likely to invite closer scrutiny from civil society groups, administrators and legal experts, particularly over its implications for women’s autonomy and access to technology in an increasingly digital world.
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