In the Supreme Court, representation matters
A world that comprises diverse human beings across religion, caste, gender, class, geography, ideology, cannot be governed by a singular set of upper class, dominant caste, majority religion men The photograph also acknowledges a new generation of women who are aspirational, driven and, given the opportunity, as likely to succeed as men. We have just seen it in sport where women have returned from Tokyo with medals. (PTI) The photograph should be framed in every law school, preserved for history books and written about in inspirational tracts for children. It’s the one where four women judges — three freshly elevated,…
Why I’m cheering the appointment of 3 women judges to the Supreme Court
A world that comprises diverse human beings across religion, caste, gender, class, geography, ideology, cannot be governed by a singular set of upper class, dominant caste, majority religion men, I write in the Hindustan Times Making History: In 71 years, the Supreme Court has had only 8 women judges. Then, in a single day, three new appointments. Pic courtesy: Bar&Bench The photograph should be framed in every law school, preserved for history books and written about in inspirational tracts for children. It’s the one where four women judges — three freshly elevated, one of whom, BV Nagarathna is slated to…
When women pay the price for State failure
When the State plans laws to punish parents who cross the two-child limit, let’s be clear about who pays the highest price. It’s women, the poorest and most marginalised PREMIUMRepresentational image. (Getty Images/iStockphoto) What’s not to love about a chota parivaar, that quintessential Indian family of parents and their two children? Fewer children mean better maternal health, more judicious use of family resources, improved nutrition, higher education outcomes, and a healthier planet, already groaning under the weight of 7.9 billion humans. And, yet, when the State plans laws to punish parents who cross the two-child limit, let’s be clear about…
Women athletes and their journeys of grit
Behind the glitter of the medals lies a story of personal grit. Poverty and marginalisation cut across gender, but women face special discrimination that ranges from fighting to be born to being allowed to play a sport Weightlifter Mirabai Chanu arrives at the airport in New Delhi, on July 26. (File photo) The first went to Saikhom Mirabai Chanu who set a new Olympic record with a successful 115 kg lift in clean and jerk. The second went to Lovlina Borgohain who, in her first Olympics, is now the third Indian boxer to ensure a podium finish, after Vijender Singh…
Young girls everywhere: Just say no
Simone Biles might have just made it that much easier for young women everywhere. Her decision to pull out of the Olympics tells girls that they matter, their voices are important, and that it’s okay to put themselves first Biles’s decision to pull out of the Olympics does more than shine a welcome spotlight on mental health (AP) In Simone Biles’s decision to quit, lies a crucial lesson for young women everywhere. It comprises a single, two-letter word: No. Biles’s decision to pull out of the Olympics does more than shine a welcome spotlight on mental health. By prioritising her…
“A matter of great importance touching upon judiciary’s independence”
In 2019, a junior woman staffer accused then chief justice of India Ranjan Gogoi of sexual harassment and, subsequently, a targeted harassment of her and her family. The Pegasus revelations tell us that her phone and that of 11 phones associated with her was likely under surveillance along with those of 10 prime ministers, 3 presidents and one king. Ranjan Gogoi, former chief justice of India is now a member of the Rajya Sabha, nominated by the ruling BJP-led government. Pic: Wikipedia At the height of the 2019 sexual harassment scandal involving then chief justice of India (CJI) Ranjan Gogoi,…
Ensure justice, in the courts and beyond
The Pegasus revelation must be probed to reassure half this country’s citizens that justice is our constitutional right; that there is zero tolerance for the abuse of power; that we are not wrong to repose our faith in our highest court Representational image. (Getty Images/iStockphoto) At the height of the 2019 sexual harassment scandal involving then chief justice of India (CJI) Ranjan Gogoi, ran the frisson of a rumour — was there a larger conspiracy? Gogoi has since retired and is now a Rajya Sabha member nominated by the Bharatiya Janata Party-led central government. His accuser, after being dismissed from…
Dowry: The persistence of a social evil
An examination of 40,000 marriages in rural India between 1960 and 2008 by a World Bank report finds that dowry’s taint has spread amongst Sikhs and Christians who now have higher average dowries than Hindus and Muslims Representational image. Three deaths, 10 days, 60 years of an anti-dowry law. Cold numbers that tell you not just about the pervasive power of dowry, but its spread to states where it was relatively unknown. The deaths over 10 days of Vismaya (22), Archana (24) and Suchithra (19) following alleged violence over dowry in Kerala, the state with the best gender indices —…
Challenging Patriarchy in Religion
The Tamil Nadu state government’s announcement that women, and non-Brahmins, can apply to be temple priests signals the beginning of the end of another male stronghold. When the pujari at the Durga temple in Nalluthevanpatti village, Madurai, fell ill and could no longer perform the ritual pujas, his only child, a daughter, Pinniyakkal stepped up. Two years later when he died in 2006, she staked her claim to be the full-time pujari, a hereditary position at that temple. The local populace was appalled. Even though the temple deity was female, tradition dictated the pujari could only be male. So, Pinniyakkal…
Challenging patriarchy in religion
When the pujari (priest) at the Durga temple in Madurai fell ill and could no longer perform the ritual pujas, his only child, a daughter, Pinniyakkal, stepped up. Two years later, when he died in 2006, she staked her claim to be the full-time pujari, a hereditary position at that temple Representational Image. (HT archive) When the pujari (priest) at the Durga temple in Nalluthevanpatti village, Madurai, fell ill and could no longer perform the ritual pujas, his only child, a daughter, Pinniyakkal, stepped up. Two years later, when he died in 2006, she staked her claim to be the full-time…
When our children are left vulnerable
The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights says 3,621 children have been orphaned since the start of the pandemic. With over 360,000 deaths so far, this is likely an underestimation Representational image. (AP) It started with a WhatsApp message. “A 2 months old baby boy and a 2 yrs old baby girl [sic] need a home because their parents have passed away due to Covid,” read the message. The kids were up for adoption. There was a phone number and a request to “kindly share it as much as possible”. Representational image. (AP) Covid-19’s catastrophic second wave was raging.…
The regressive mindset behind the Tarun Tejpal judgment
The Tejpal judgment could have stopped with an acquittal on reasonable doubt due to lack of police evidence. Instead, there are insinuations about the woman’s credibility, including the fact that she admittedly had no physical injuries after the assault Former journalist Tarun Tejpal. (AFP) Despite that, many of those questions, and replies, are now on public record thanks to a 527-page judgment by Kshama Joshi, the additional sessions judge at Mapusa who acquitted Tejpal of all charges. With its unrelenting focus on the complainant, the judgment tells you less about the sexual crimes Tejpal was accused of and more about…