Hyderabad Literary Festival: Laws don’t help women, says social activist Indira Jaisingh

Hyderabad: A tenant/trespasser has more rights than a woman, said Supreme Court lawyer, writer and social activist Indira Jaising speaking at the panel discussion on Women and Law at the Hyderabad Literary Festival on Sunday.

Moderated by sociologist and lawyer Kalpana Kannabiran, the session saw Ms Jaising, eminent development economist Padmini Swaminathan and ex-Supreme Court judge Justice B.P. Jeevan Reddy speaking on women’s issues.

“Even after decades of independence, we are yet to apply Article 14 of the Constitution, which entitles equality before law with respect to the inequitable and oppressive personal laws,” said Justice Reddy, adding, “It is still treated as an unnecessary inconvenience, which can lead to chaos.”

Responding to a question on misuse of the Domestic Violence Act, Ms Jaising said, “A woman demanding her share of property at the time of exiting from a marriage can’t be termed as misuse of law. It’s like telling a woman that your place is at home.”

Speaking about how women have to struggle and suffer in silence despite the presence of laws, Ms Jaising said, “For a woman to approach a court of law with resistance of the family isn’t easy. It’s just unfair.”

“The law can act as a catalyst for change in women’s issues. But there are so many processes, in addition to the legislative process, which need to be put in place. Women need counseling, they need help to settle down,” she said.

“The concept of man being the earning head of the family has been engrained since so many centuries, that it is not so easy to get rid off it,” Justice Reddy said while talking about women having to give up jobs for the sake of the family. On a question about laws to protect rights of transgenders, Kalpana Kannabiran said, “How we apply the existing laws for sexual minorities remains a challenge.”