a myth actively perpetuated by traditional politicians and a supportive bureauracy is that panchayat bodies are India's lowest ranked implementing agency for government programmes. Thus their status as an institution of self-government, as designated in the Indian c onstitution, remains a distant dream. This is why, when the Plachimada panchayat in Kerala's Pallakad district rescinded the license of a global soft drink major and the state high court dismissed the company's writ petition challenging this decision, it became an event with huge ramifications.

The event strongly indicates the emergence of the panchayat as