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.
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