The New Goddesses of Justice

The Goddess opf Justice is usually depicted as blindfolded with a pair of scales in one hand and a sword in another. But there have been a new breed of goddesses in India, who uphold justice in their own firm way. I am talking about the female lawyers and judges at various levels in the Indian society.

Notable among them is Mrs. Prabha Sridevan, the recently appointed Chief Justice of Madras High Court. And she has a lot to say on women empowerment and the role of law in Indian society. Read on...

Interviewer: How do you find your new responsibilities?

Prabha Sridevan It's good, yet very different. All along as a lawyer, I had to plead on behalf of my client. Now as a judge, I will be expected to see both sides of an issue. Besides as a female judge, the expectations from my colleagues and friends will be that much higher.

I : For a woman, is a lawyer's job more challenging or a judge's?

PS: In my opinion, both are equally challenging. You have to work really hard at being a lawyer and usually it takes quite a few years to become a successful one. But still very few people notice how well a lawyer performs individually. His client's success or failure is what matters. But when you are a judge, you are always in the public eye and bound to do the right thing by everyone.

I:As a lawyer of repute for 16 years, what kind of suits have your represented? have you given preference to cases involving women/

PS: Well, mostly I have appeared only for civil suits, particularly those that have come up for appeal. In such type of suits, you cannot really differentiate them as woman-oriented cases. At the same time, whenever I have appeared on behalf of a female client, I found that it was easier to really empathize with the her views and ideas.

I : For instance...?

PS: Once, a sessions court passed a judgement that I felt was biased against widow remarriage. I handled the case when it came up for appeal. Since the vein of the previous judgement went against the basic idea of woman empowerment, I could act with more responsibility and sympathy while handling the appeal. And fortunately, I did win the case.

I : Usually society has an unwritten code of conduct for man and woman, Is the same kind of gender differentiation also evident in Indian law?

Go To Page: 1 2

Articles in this Topic    Discussions in this Topic