Image used for representational purposes only. File | Photo credit: Getty Images/iStockphoto
As the world races on the connectivity highway, smartphones will be banned for married women belonging to the Jat community sect in Rajasthan’s Jalore district from Republic Day 2026. The diktat was made at a caste panchayat held in Ghazipur village on December 21.
The panchayat has ordered that no daughter-in-law or young woman from 15 villages in the Bhinmal-Khanpur region should carry camera mobile phones from January 26 for weddings, public gatherings and even for visits to neighbours. They can only use phones with a basic keypad for voice calls.
The Sundhamata Patti panchayat of the Chaudhary clan took the decision “by consensus”, citing concerns about addiction to mobile devices and the impact of screen time on children’s eyesight. Panch Himmataram read the motion which was passed as a resolution after discussions among all panchayat members and elders who agreed to implement the rule.
“Allowed for Academic Purposes”
Community president Sujanaram Chaudhary presided over the panchayat meeting. The resolution states that girls pursuing education will be allowed to use smartphones at home “strictly for academic purposes” but will be prohibited from carrying the devices to social events, weddings or neighborhood visits.
Mr. Chaudhary later said that the decision was taken because the children often used the mobile phones of the women in their household, which affected their eyesight due to prolonged exposure to the screen. “Some women give their phones to their children to distract them and allow them to focus on their daily chores,” he said.
The ban will be enforced in Ghazipur, Pawali, Kalda, Manojiyawas, Rajikawas, Datlawas, Rajpura, Kodi, Sidrodi, Aldi, Ropsi, Khanadewal, Savidhar, Hathmi Ki Dhani and Khanpur villages.
“An attempt to protect the honor of the family”
A video of the proclamation, which was read out at a panchayat meeting, went viral online and drew sharp criticism from social activists and women’s rights groups. Although the mechanism for enforcing the decision remained unclear, it was seen as an attempt to protect family honor and privacy in married families.
User X advised women from 15 villages to disobey the dictate as a mass protest. “What can men do? Lock up all the women? Good luck. This is so ridiculous,” she said.
Another social media user asked women to “definitely accept” the ban with the condition that men must stop consuming paan, bidis, cigarettes, hookah and alcohol and not keep moustaches.
Published – 24 Dec 2025 20:57 IST
