The autonomy and the supremacy of the law cannot be taken for granted, because it is dependent on political commitment and a robust rule of law culture. Contemporary Indian society is passing through a phase of an all round weakening of the rule of law, mainly on two counts: first, a trust deficit in the colonial model of the rule of law, and second, a faith-oriented majoritarian re-imagination of laws that locate their essence in the divine providence. The malaise of such weakening is best exemplified by the case of the Indian medal-winning wrestlers and their complaints of alleged sexual harassment, where there has been no resolution even after their long sit-in protest in the national capital.
The airing of complaints
For almost a decade now, women trainee wrestlers — this also includes award-winning sportspersons — have faced and put up with alleged sexual advances and grave indignities during their training. In January 2023, some of the wrestlers began their sit-in/dharna at Jantar Mantar, New Delhi. Despite the Sports Ministry referring the batch of complaints to an oversight committee, there was no concrete and satisfactory outcome.
