Panchayati raj institutions as a tool of good governance: A critical legal analysis

In ancient times, the administration of justice was reliant on the concept of “King is fountain head of justice”. This concept put justice at the discretion of king without asserting right and wrong of fact in issue. With the beginning of the era of welfare state and urgent call for the observance of principles of natural justice, India also relied on decentralization of power. The decentralization of power as a grassroots level has been secured with Panchayati raj Institutions (PRI). The PRI has been established in Indian jurisprudence with the aim for bringing decision-making closer to the people; promote good governance; boost economic development; ensure efficiency in delivering public services, to ensure transparency and integrity in system, to accommodate the interests of diverse groups and alike. Under this backdrop, this paper aims to enquire that how and to what extent PRI can impacts and ensure good governance and to suggest mechanism in making PRI as perfect tool to strive for good governance.