In Premchand’s story Panch Parmeshwar (1916), the friends Jumman and Algu each sit in judgment in a case that touches the other. Algu, as head of the village panchayat, rules against his friend. An old woman has told him: Panch ke dil mein khuda basta hai. God lives in the heart of the panch.
Later Jumman, now an enemy, must judge Algu’s case. When he judges fairly, the village cries out: Panch Parmeshwar ki jai! Victory to the panch who is God.