Views of Justice Anna Chandy on autonomy, equality of women far ahead of her times: Justice S Ravindra Bhat

The views of India's first woman judge, late Justice Anna Chandy on equality, dignity and autonomy of women were far ahead of her times so much so that she faced severe backlash from women themselves, Supreme Court judge Justice S Ravindra Bhat recently said..He drew attention to Chandy’s arguments with regard to women’s reservation, which emphasized on the need to recognize women as a distinct group. He also pointed out that she actively campaigned for special measures, nearly two decades before these were written into the Constitution.“But this was not universally supported. In fact, she faced severe backlash from women themselves. But, she always stood steadfast in her positions,” he remarked.The judge also described Chandy’s understanding of equality based on the twin concepts of autonomy and dignity. He opined that it was far ahead of her time, given that our Supreme Court only expressed it 75 years later.“Every position she took, expressed her vision of equality and dignity for women, procedural justice and protection of an accused, importance of a fair trial etc," he said. The full magnitude of her brilliance was perhaps not understood then, he added..“A fascinating writer, activist, lawyer, judge who broke the grass ceiling in many many ways but does not quite enjoy the same limelight as others,” Justice Bhat said on Justice Chandy..The full magnitude of Justice Anna Chandy's brilliance was not understood then.Justice S Ravindra Bhat .Justice Bhat was speaking at the First Shyamala Pappu Memorial Lecture on the subject Trailblazing Women In Law..He emphasised that the lecture was his attempt to draw attention to some of the women who shaped the law in India but were forgotten or rendered invisible in the context of Indian legal history.“This is with the hope that it will inspire you to read more about them and bring their stories to the mainstream, where they rightfully belong,” the apex court judge said..He spoke of women who were a part of the “male-dominated” Constituent Assembly, and threw light on the efforts and contributions of Dr Durgabai Deshmukh, Dakshayani Velayudhan, Rajkumari Amrit Kaur and Hansa Mehta.He said that many may discredit and misunderstand those who waded through these difficult times of framing the Constitution, but urged people to remember that their contributions made us a vibrant democracy.“We may have different views, we must remember that while some of their positions and decisions may be considered unfashionable today, these are contributions of those who strove to make our nation a vibrant democracy with equalities and liberties for all which cannot be forgotten or erased from history,” he said..The judge went on to elaborate on the participation of women in the legal profession. Special mention was made of Cornelia Sorabjee, the first woman law graduate in India.“The first female graduate from Bombay University. The first woman to study law at Oxford University when she graduated.”He also cited the example of another fascinating personality who was less heard of, Mithan Lam, the first woman to be allowed to practice law in the Bombay High Court in 1924.“More than her role at the Bar, she left an indelible on the female suffragist movement and the fight for gender equality in India,” the judge said..Towards the end of his speech, Justice Bhat said that these women came from different backgrounds, regions etc. However, they all felt strongly about the values of equality and that all demographics had an equal role in the building of a new India.“All share a common vision, that the goal of equality is critical for realization of our freedoms, and that there can be no true democracy without the fullest participation by women in every sphere of activity that men were engaged in,” he elaborated..It was his thought that the pioneering women he spoke of had the foresight and vision to peer into the myths of the future and to create structures that gave shape to our present and would hopefully open up to an even better tomorrow..He stressed that it was our duty to to go back and learn from the inspiring lives of these women, who gave up so much and overcame multiple barriers to gain our country freedom.“To work and build upon their ideas and live up to their goals would be the best tribute that we can strive to give them.”.International Women's Day 2022: Eight Indian women who broke the legal profession's glass ceiling