The new handbook brought out by the Supreme Court of India, regarding terms used to refer to women in courts in various circumstances, has been widely welcomed by the women’s rights activists of the country as a positive move in the direction of gender justice. Most see it as an answer to their long-pending demands and a shot in the arm for women who fight for justice.
“I would like to appreciate the people behind this handbook. We have pointed out the injustice in the usage of certain words inside the court on several occasions,” said M. Sulfath, a women’s rights activist in Kozhikode, urging that these guidelines should inspire similar changes in the language used in media, in curriculum, by the police, and even in literature.
It was on Wednesday that the Supreme Court came up with the handbook, a brain child of Chief Justice D.Y. Chandrachud that lists a few commonly used phrases in the context of women and sexual crimes and the right term to substitute them in the modern day context. The apex court has advised judges and lawyers to steer clear of those phrases while writing orders or filing lawsuits respectively. The handbook is seen as an effort to weed out gender stereotypes that could be demeaning to the victims/ survivors or even witnesses. There are also words that could cloud judgements. A digital copy of the handbook has been uploaded on the Supreme Court website and it aims to assist the legal community in identifying, combating, and understanding stereotypes against women.
K. Ajitha, president of Anweshi Women’s Counselling centre in Kozhikode, who has been in the forefront of many a fight for women’s rights, pointed out that the handbook became necessary due to the patriarchal nature of the judicial system in the country. “The usage of some of the words in a demeaning manner in the court has affected the morale of the victims/ survivors in many cases,” she said. Ms. Ajitha especially pointed out the court ruling in favour of writer Civic Chandran’s bail in a sexual harassment case in which the court had observed that the revealing dress of the survivor, a minor at the time, was the reason for the abuse.
“I have come across such observations several years ago. This particular handbook will have a long-term impact,” she added.
