In society, there are both Sita Maiyas and Surpanakhas: Ex-CJI UU Lalit ahead of International Men's Day

There are both "Sita Maiyas" and "Surpanakhas" in society, former Chief Justice of India (CJI) UU Lalit recently said while speaking ahead of International Men's Day..Justice Lalit said that discussing men’s issues should not be interpreted as compromising women's rights, but rather as an essential demand for a fair and well-rounded legal system.He emphasised that not all undertrial prisoners may be guilty and that the legal system must ensure that innocent people are not prosecuted. Referring to Goddess Sita and the demon Surpanakha from the Ramayana, he said,“There are Sita maiyas but there are Surpanakhas as well in the society. So, therefore, one has to, as a society, be circumspect and galvanise your machinery in a manner that leaves out chances of innocents being dragged to the court, innocent getting prosecuted and innocent getting tired of the entire process."He further highlighted that there are many undertrials in the country and as per data, four in five of those facing criminal charges eventually walk free after acquittal..Justice Lalit was delivering the keynote address at the Constitution Club of India at the Ekam Nyaay Conference - Shaping an Equal and Just Bharat on November 16, 2025.The conference, held to commemorate International Men's Day, observed on November 19, held discussions on the significance of the justice system being sensitive to prevent the prosecution and punishment of innocent people while guaranteeing justice for actual victims..In his speech, the former CJI noted that the law now states that the statement by the victim in rape cases should be given the highest respect. He said that the system should be such that if there is a false accusation, then the charge of false or malicious prosecution should not be left for a second trial to be taken after the conclusion of the first one. "A finding can be recorded by the presiding officer of the court that the false accuser must be punished," he said. He added that in many situations, young men and women enter relationships willingly, but when the relationship later ends on a wrong note, complaints are often raised that the person was taken advantage of by the man and a rape case is filed.“Now there could be some truth in that complaint. But at the same time there are shades of grey as well. And in that grey, the system should make sure that an innocent person should not be prosecuted or be subjected to unnecessary arrest,” he stressed..Other prominent speaker at the conference included Bombay High Court Justice Sadhana Sanjay Jadhav.Justice Jadhav questioned long-held assumptions, particularly the idea that a woman “would never humiliate herself” by making a false allegation.“Why would she? But I ask, why not?” she said, urging society to acknowledge the complexity of human behaviour and the reality of malicious allegations.Drawing attention to the collateral damage inflicted by false charges, she said, “When a man is accused, it’s not he alone who suffers. It is his children, his parents, his siblings, his entire world.”.The event witnessed release of Ekam Nyaay Foundation's Annual Report by Justice U U Lalit and Justice Sadhana Jadhav, Former Judge, Bombay High Court .Ekam Nyaay’s founder, Deepika Narayan Bhardwaj, while presenting the work done by the organisation in the last year, stated, “We work with men and their families who are shattered because of false accusations on a daily basis. We Hold Their Hands from the Moment They Break down. Our Foundation works at the grassroots level holding the hands of men who have hit rock-bottom after false allegations, police apathy, or prolonged litigation. So many men and their parents call us, unable to breathe under the pressure of stigma. We guide them through FIRs, courtrooms, and society’s unforgiving judgments." Sharing numbers from the last year's work, Bhardwaj said " We counselled more than 2000 men, enabled arrest of 37 criminals and false accusers, enabled FIR from victim families in 24 cases, conducted 3 major researches, got more than 123 articles published in print and digital media and our content had more than 700M+ views across social media platforms.".Follow Bar and Bench channel on WhatsAppDownload the Bar and Bench Mobile app for instant access to the latest legal news.