Vadodara, INDIA — The mother, an animal herder in the western Indian state of Gujarat, watched in horror as her 3-year-old daughter was snatched from her. The kidnapper, an upper-caste woman from a nearby village who was unable to conceive, had been encouraged by her in-laws to help herself to a low-caste child. The mother pleaded with the village council and police for her daughter’s return. But both were dismissive. So she approached the unofficial Nari Adalat, or Women’s Court.

Five members of the court walked to the village where the girl was being held, and confronted her abductors. They refused to budge until the family let them search their house, where they found the girl hidden beneath a pile of mattresses in a musty storage room. They brought her home.

In Gujarat, a state of 60 million, a rural, grassroots network of courts has emerged to assist women shut out of more formal systems of justice. These courts originated with a few women in a Gujarat village in 1995 to combat domestic violence; today, there are at least 35 across the state, and similar tribunals in over half a dozen others. They have heard thousands of cases on everything from assault, child marriage and dowry disputes to accusations of witchcraft.

After a complaint is brought to a Nari Adalat, its members — about 15 women, ranging in age from their 20s to their 80s — walk from house to house to conduct interviews. Everyone is invited to testify. Often the courts can’t afford an office, and the meetings are held under a tree. Women habituated to a crouching silence can stand and speak freely. In a country where police are notoriously corrupt and cases can drag on for years, these amateur jurists, who are often illiterate, are seen as impartial and speedy. They typically render a verdict in only four months. And their services are often free.