Charting the Path to Gender Equality: Insights from India's Judiciary

Chief Justice of India B R Gavai emphasized the critical role civil society and women's movements play in advancing gender equality. Acknowledging past judicial shortcomings, he stressed the importance of collaborative efforts towards genuine gender justice, underscoring the still-incomplete journey towards real equality despite decades of progress.

In a compelling address at the 30th Justice Sunanda Bhandare Memorial Lecture, Chief Justice of India B R Gavai highlighted the indispensable role of civil society, women's movements, and ordinary citizens in holding the judiciary accountable to the promise of equality enshrined in the Constitution.

CJI Gavai reflected on India's 75-year journey towards women's rights, acknowledging past judicial failures to fully capture women's lived realities. He stressed that progress is a collective achievement, driven not only by courts but by the voices challenging regressive precedents.

While significant strides have been made, CJI Gavai emphasized the ongoing need for real gender equality, urging men in power to see collaboration as a societal liberation, and not confrontation, to reshape the institutional architecture of equality, inspired by Justice Sunanda Bhandare's pioneering legacy.

(With inputs from agencies.)