Overview

• A three-day Jodidara ceremony on July 12–14 in Shillai village featuring Sunita Chauhan and brothers Pradeep and Kapil Negi captured nationwide attention when footage spread online
• Revenue, Horticulture and Tribal Minister Jagat Singh Negi highlighted the custom’s centuries-old role in keeping ancestral landholdings intact and its recognition under state revenue laws and IPC sections 494–495
• Legal scholars confirm that as a Scheduled Tribe practice, Jodidara is exempt from the Hindu Marriage Act and Special Marriages Act despite national bans on polygamy
• Academics citing Y S Parmar’s Himalayan studies emphasize economic advantages of polyandry—such as lower wedding costs and consolidated family land—while warning of risks to women’s rights
• Industry Minister Harshwardhan Chauhan and local leaders report that polyandry is steadily declining among younger Hatti tribe members as education and social norms evolve