Discuss the recent developments in the field of women’s rights in India. (200 words)
Refer – The Indian Express
Enrich the answer from other sources, if the question demands.
IAS Parliament 7 years
KEY POINTS
Judicial development
· The ‘Triple talaq” was declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court and hailed as a huge victory for gender rights.
· The acquittal of Mahmood Farooqui on the ground that a woman’s ‘No’ was ‘feeble’ and thus it was ‘difficult to decipher… a denial of consent’ is a troubling precedent in this regard as it may transfer the onus of consent on the victim, as sexual harassment and assault goes unchecked.
· Women rights received a setback with the Supreme Court’s refusal to recognise marital rape, even as it recognised sex with a minor wife as illegal.
Political developments
· The govt. had introduced a bill against talaq-e-bidat, criminalizing the perpetrator up to a term of 3 years.
· The Minister for Women and Child Development Menaka Gandhi declared that due to illiteracy, social customs and religious beliefs, marital rape could not be applied in India.
· In a country where terms of consent are poorly understood, women have little agency over their bodies and intimate partner violence is pervasive. This will have serious repercussions.
Social development
· Indian girl Raya Sarkar’s Facebook list naming and shaming sexual predators in academia was defended by many as a great way of women to bring down powerful predators where complaints, procedures and subsequent actions were non-existent; state, police and judiciary is often unfriendly.
