Here’s something to bring all you women some festive cheer. Working the legal system when it comes to proving sexual harassment may now be a slightly easier job because the Court is now also open to new dimensions in sexual harassment, like making statements that are intended to hurt the sensitivities of a woman.
This welcome judgement actually comes from a case where a woman lawyer, has filed charges for sexual harassment against a male lawyer for deliberately making an innocuous remark that has double meanings.
The woman, a former Gwalior additional district Judge, filed charges against a current sitting High Court Judge there for his remark in court that he found her interjections ‘delightful’. This of course, does not come as a surprise since most people are familiar with the kind of discrimination and gender bias that women working for the law regularly face.
It all began when the female lawyer, representing the petitioner, repeatedly interrupted the male lawyer’s arguments to express her views and objections. Although the sitting judge on that case advised him to continue his arguments regardless of interruptions, the male lawyer retorted that ‘the interjections by the senior counsel for the petitioner are always delightful’.
Considering her complaint of sexual harassment, a Supreme Court bench concluded that ‘she may well be right’. “There is a lot to learn from what she innocuously conveyed. Her sensitivity to the issue, brought out to us a wholly different understanding of the subject,” said the bench of Judges.
Having often read about how conservative judges can be, it comes as a refreshing change to see a verdict like this being delivered. In the light of the grim mood that everybody is in due to unsavoury attacks against women that have taken place in the last few weeks, this certainly a much needed, welcome breather for women. We ladies, would like to thank the judges for playing Santa this month and bringing in some happier tidings.
Image Courtesy: BCCL
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