The Nilgiris District Bar Association (NDBA) inaugurated a special room for women lawyers at the newly-constructed Combined District Court Complex in Udhagamandalam, on Monday, June 26, 2023.
Speaking to The Hindu, B. Sivakumar, secretary of the NDBA, said that women lawyers had already been allocated a room at the court complex, but that the newly-inaugurated rooms were bigger and more spacious, offering women lawyers privacy to carry out their work.
“There are a total of 47 women lawyers who are members of the NDBA,” said Mr. Sivakumar, who said that the NDBA, as well as judicial officers, were working towards ensuring that women lawyers in the district have access to all basic amenities at the court complex.
On June 9, the Supreme Court had directed the Registrar General of the Madras High Court to file a detailed report on the basic facilities, including washrooms, available for women lawyers at the court complex. The lack of proper facilities for women lawyers has been a burning issue for nearly a quarter of a century in the hill district. The issue was raised in the Supreme Court by the Nilgiris Women Lawyers Association through a petition.
This apart, another section of women lawyers had also been complaining about the lack facilities at the newly opened court complex.
District judge, A. Abdul Kadhar, inaugurated the new room for women lawyers, in the presence of the officer-bearers of the NDBA, including its president, R. Mahadevan, vice president, C. Sasikumar, treasurer, Sakila Prakash and joint secretary, K. Menega Prabhu.
Office-bearers of the NDBA said that access to the library for judicial officers was also now made available for all lawyers, and a canteen was also being constructed within the court premises. They also said that the much demanded road to the new court complex is also being constructed.
