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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.
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
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